Rasheed Ajamu

Background

About Rasheed Ajamu

I launched the Phreedom Jawn Instagram in May 2020, in response to the state and police violence that Black Philadelphians were subjected to. Phreedom Jawn started as a way to keep people safe, encourage community care, and highlight Black experiences. And while those things will still be offered on the Instagram platform, there is now a space where it will cover it’s own original stories highlighting different people, places, and things that make this city great. Since its launch, Phreedom Jawn has been recognized citywide for its contributions to helping to sustain the ongoing struggle for Black liberation in Philly (and nationwide), In November 2020, it got me ranked as #16 on the 76 Most Influential People in Philadelphia for Philly Mag, and earned me a Never Delete Your Account Billy Penn award in June 2021. The Phreedom Jawn blog is a direct response to agenda-setting from western/white media. There’s so much gatekeeping and censoring in the newsroom that keeps us from imagining what “news” could look like. It doesn’t have to hold a mirror to just crime, sports, and celebrity. It can be so much more. And as Audre Lorde’s words suggest, we cannot rely on them to tell our stories. We must tell them how they were intended and not for their comfort. Period.