Kensington Voice is a community-driven newsroom that serves the Kensington area of Philadelphia. They publish stories, resources, and community-created content on their website in both English and Spanish. Their mission is to provide a platform for residents to share their perspectives and reclaim the narrative of their neighborhood through authentic, grassroots storytelling.

Tell us about your news outlet and how your work serves Philadelphia residents.
Kensington Voice, a nonprofit community hub and newsroom, serves North Philly’s Fairhill, Harrowgate, Kensington, Norris Square, and Port Richmond neighborhoods. We publish every other day online and in print once a month in both English and Spanish. Our newsroom published solutions-based, community-driven news stories to counteract the negative perceptions of the neighborhood. Our model pairs direct services with journalism. Through our reporting and community engagement, we learn what the community’s needs are and aim to bridge access through programming provided in our newsroom space or connecting them to other service providers in the neighborhood.

What lived experiences inspire/influence your work?
At its inception, Kensington Voice listened to the community directly to guide what our work should be. During the early planning stages for the newsroom, several months were spent engaging in conversation with hundreds of residents and other community members on street corners, in parks, and at public libraries. Many current and former staff live in, previously lived in, or are closely connected to the neighborhood in some other capacity. Our Voices section, which publishes first-person perspectives from community members, provides a fuller account of the lives of the community and what impacts them. Every conversation on the streets or online with Kensington impacts which direction our reporting should go to make sure the reporting is not just about the community, but for the community.

Share a prediction on the future of local news.
As we see a decrease in monoculture in our society and online spaces, I think we will see a lot more smaller, alternative media outlets take rise that meet niche interests in our communities.

What’s the superpower of the Philadelphia Journalism Collaborative?
The different experiences of the members within it – diversity brings fresh perspectives!

What’s your favorite water ice flavor?
Swedish Fish

Wit or witout?
Wit