Alexander Atienza

Where’s the Love, Philadelphia? is a multimedia storytelling project that seeks to raise awareness of the gun violence epidemic in Philadelphia by sharing the stories of those affected. We believe the key to understanding gun violence in Philadelphia lies in the firsthand experiences of its residents. By bringing together different perspectives and providing a space for community members to share their stories, we hope to enrich dialogue and inform action towards solving the problem. Where’s the Love, Philadelphia? was created in 2014 by students at the University of Pennsylvania as part of a community research project. All of our members contribute to the stories on our site by conducting and transcribing interviews, as well as contributing writing, photography, and research.

Where’s the Love, Philadelphia?

Where’s the Love, Philadelphia? began as web-based storytelling and community-building project in 2014, founded by three undergrads at the University of Pennsylvania. It aimed to share the narratives of gun violence and its impacts on individuals and communities of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods as told by its residents. The project aimed both to build community among those affected throughout the city and to better inform anyone interested in gaining understanding of the issue.

Today, Penn students continue to learn from residents and give back by sharing their narratives through photos, audio, and writing on the WTL website. As new members continue to capture these developing narratives and add to the site, it became clear that the first series of stories needed to be formally archived. Thus, the idea of the WTL photo book was born.

We wanted to have photo books made to not only commemorate the stories captured and share them with new audiences, but to gift these books to the individuals who gave their time and heart to share their voices to this project. We are indebted to them for helping make us better-informed neighbors in Philadelphia, even when the social change we’d both like to see is slowly still in progress.

Support the project at www.kickstarter.com/projects/wtlphilly/wheres-the-love-philadelphia-photobook

To view more of Alexander’s work please visit his website.