Voices Beyond the Gunfire
Solomon Jones of WURD Radio curated “Voices Beyond the Gunfire,” a series of five radio interviews — conducted by three interviewers — with young men from ManUpPHL’s Listening to the Streets initiative discussing real-life experiences, exploring causes and effects of gun violence and weighing the human cost. This series elevates the voices that have not been heard on the issue of gun violence: those whose very lives are at risk. They offer insights that come only with experience, and we believe that their unique and innovative answers will help us to reach our goal: solving gun violence.
Darrell Holloway
Darrell Holloway was shot when he was 17 years old and continues to live with the consequences. Holloway shares his compelling story of struggle and resilience with Khali Younger, who left the streets and the prison system to become a registered nurse.
Edwin “Tony” Murchison
Award-winning journalist Solomon Jones interviews Edwin “Tony” Murchison, who was shot in the first months of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Murchison’s experience with gun violence mirrors that of his father. Now Murchison is trying to build a different legacy.
Angela Sears
Brian Wallace, a former juvenile lifer who served 46 years in prison, remade his life after being released in 2018. He interviews Angela Sears, who lost her daughter to gun violence in the streets of Lawncrest. The murder was caught on tape, but no one has been convicted.
Brian Wallace
Award-winning journalist Solomon Jones interviews Brian Wallace, a former juvenile lifer who was jailed at 14 and served 46 years in prison for his role in a robbery that ended with a murder. Wallace explains his upbringing in South Philadelphia, his prison transformation, and his role to redemption.
Joshua Cosby
Former juvenile lifer Brian Wallace has had his experiences with gun violence. So has 30-year-old Joshua Cosby. Now the two men, who are nearly two generations apart, discuss the similarities and differences between their stories, and talk about solutions for the future.
The Credible Messenger Reporting Project empowers people impacted by gun violence to report on root causes, lived experience and possible solutions from the community perspective. Credible Messengers are paired with advanced professional journalists to learn from each other and leverage their combined authority to produce and distribute news reports, with financial support provided by the Center.
Apply to participate
Planning is underway for the second cohort of Credible Messenger teams and our staff will be reviewing applications early in 2022. You are invited to submit applications now:
Meet the messengers
During the first 12 months, this project provided support to 17 Credible Messenger reporters and producers as well as eight advanced professional journalists, some of whom also have significant lived experience, and two partnering community organizations.
Refining and replicating The Credible Messenger Reporting Project
We have been contacted by a community gun violence prevention organization in Milwaukee, a non-profit hospital in Muskegon, Michigan and a gun violence prevention center at a hospital in Boston – all interested in replicating the program and exploring the impact it could have in their communities.
Now, all four groups are banding together to explore the possibility of developing a model for replication and implementation in cities across the nation, but we are going to need some help.
If you find this idea as inspiring as we do and have time to discuss our approach and advise us on next steps, we would love to know what you think.
More info: Refining and Replicating The Credible Messenger Reporting Project