What I wish for in 2024: Let’s live up to our mottos and slogans and catchphrases
A new year, a new commitment to the city we love.
I know, I know … We’ve already got plenty of mottos and slogans and Philly vs. Anybody and Everybody vibes around these parts. But as I was scrolling through Instagram recently, I came across a phrase that seemed to capture the kind of energy our city needs heading into what’s likely to be a transformative year.
A year, by the way, where we have new leadership in City Hall, in Council chambers, and in police headquarters. We Philadelphians need to be eagle-eyed about making sure this new crop of leaders makes good on their promises.
The phrase that got me fired up came from a street art installation in Washington, D.C., in which a stenciled typewriter with a wheat-pasted poster read:
“Do something every single day to remind this city why the hell you’re here.”
Print that on a T-shirt! I thought.
Sing that, Bacon Brothers!
Chant “One Philly!” loud and proud at your upcoming inauguration, Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker. (And I plan to be there to hear it.) But make clear to residents who are counting on you that becoming a unified city takes more than bumper sticker pride.
When I reached out to the Los Angeles-based street artist, WRDSMTH, who has family in Philly, to talk about his inspirational piece, he told me that sometime around 2018 there used to be one just like it in South Philly. The installation is meant to “inspire people to persevere, no matter what they are striving for or where they are living.”
Sound familiar? It should. He’s describing people with grit — the most Philly of all traits that we just love to talk about.
So, I have a challenge for all of us: Are we going to just keep talking about it, as the saying goes, or are we finally going to be about it?
Because when we pound our chests with city love and pride and say, “It’s a Philly thing,” those kinds of general phrases include just as much bad as good, and too often we stop short of actually making the bad any better.
No doubt, the ride-or-die loyalty to our sports teams, our cheesesteaks, and our accent are all a Philly thing. But you know what else is a Philly thing? Being the poorest big city in the nation, where hovering around 400 homicides in 2023 would be considered a sign of progress.
We may be known most widely as the City of Brotherly Love ... and Sisterly Affection, but far too many of our brothers and sisters regularly go unhoused, unfed, un- or undereducated. And countless viral videos of violent, obscene behavior — from residents and police alike — prove that love and affection are often in short supply in our city.
I want better for us in 2024, Philly. I know we can do better.
And it starts with all of us, from elected officials to everyday residents.
So, let’s make this official with a citywide … resolution. (We can have a proper Citywide later.)
» READ MORE: To keep making history, Cherelle Parker needs to make unity a Philly thing | Helen Ubiñas
I’d love to see WRDSMTH’s piece in every neighborhood. But short of that, let’s take inspiration from his words, and the countless Philadelphians practicing what too many of us just preach, and promise that in 2024, we’re going to remind this city why we’re here.
I don’t care what corner of Philly you’re in, what space you live or work in, what lane you’re in, arts or anti-violence or anything in between; there are a million ways to be part of making the city we live in better.
When we proudly proclaim that “Nobody likes us and we don’t care,” don’t let it just be what Eagles center Jason Kelce sang to a crowd of thousands during the Super Bowl parade in 2018 — as awesome as that was.
Make it about turning all of our pride and passion and words into action.
Make it about Philadelphians doing everything we can to make it hard for any other city to outshine us.