LOVE Park rally a valentine for Philadelphia

Falaka Fattah woke up on her 83d birthday, Dec. 28, knowing what she wanted for Valentine's Day:

A giant "I Love Philly" party.

That's what brought 100 people to LOVE Park on Saturday for four hours of music, some speeches, and a shot of civic self-esteem.

Fattah is the cocreator of the House of Umoja, an "urban boys town" that has been operating in West Philadelphia for more than four decades.

Partnering with the Mayor's Office of Faith Based Initiatives, Fattah wanted to stage an event that focused on the positives of the City of Brotherly Love.

She put it this way, in a statement released before the day began:

"I've heard it said 'I Love New York,' but here we say 'I Love Philly.' "

Starting about 1 p.m., rally participants filled a small tent and heard performances by local rap artist Jalen Hoang, DJrubination, Philly 215, Aschak and the Earth Day Kids, and D. Bankzz as well as Philadelphia students and other local artists.

Messages of the day included a plea to control gun violence and a performance by the Earth Day Kids that paid homage to the "Hands up, don't shoot" movement that emerged after August's police shooting in Ferguson, Mo.

Tanya Banks, owner of Banks Production Company in Philadelphia and a volunteer for the event, sat in the audience during the performance that hit close to home.

"My son was murdered a year and a half ago," she said. "The city of Philadelphia has one of the highest crime rates, so if I can be a part of trying to stop the crime, that's why I'm here."

The event cost the House of Umoja $5,000 to put on and was staffed by volunteers, Fattah said. The group was able to cover the costs for the event through in-kind donations from the city, $1,000 from Comcast, a $500 gift from Copabanana Restaurant, and small contributions from volunteers.

Speakers for the event included West Philadelphia comedian Malcolm Hill and Fattah's son, Rep. Chaka Fattah, the Democrat from Philadelphia.

"We're saying that the way to build more positive outcomes for our younger people in our city is for them to know more about those who came before them," said David Fattah, Falaka Fattah's husband and cofounder of the House of Umoja.

The latter half of the event was spent recognizing some of the city's greats, including heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, Little League pitcher Mo'ne Davis, actor Will Smith, and the first African American in space, astronaut Guion Bluford Jr.

"We never celebrate the people who made the city great . . . ," David Fattah said. "The police are here, the kids are here, and we're getting along."

Kayvon Jackson, 10, a student of St. Rose of Lima School, was excited to perform with the Earth Day Kids.

"I want people to know that Philly is a safe place," he said.