The Community Issue: 2026 | The Temple News

DANIYAH EGGLESTON / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Every year, the North Philly community hosts thousands of Temple’s wayward academics—and it’s not without conflict. The university is often at odds with the residential community it is surrounded by, despite their proximity.

When I open my eyes and observe the residential lives around me, I see neighbors who play together, walk together and talk to each other. I encourage my fellow students to remember that love is an act of resistance—long-standing resentment has no place in a neighborhood.

Businesses like Treehouse Books act as physical testimony. Neighborhood book swaps, free materials and literacy programs nurture the community one child at a time. Blackhawk athletics operates in a similar vein—suiting up Pee Wees in football pads to achieve athletic excellence after long days in the classroom.

In this Community Issue, we focused on highlighting esteemed leaders and uncovering important sentiments about neighborhood crime and the upcoming bicentennial. We attempted to uphold our end of the bargain by keeping the community center, uplifting the good and uncovering the bad.

Whether you’re reading one of our stories, supporting a business on Cecil B. Moore Avenue or Diamond Street or talking to a neighbor, we hope our second annual community issue stories reinvigorate your responsibilities to and curiosities of others—whether that be students or residents.

“Train yourself toward solidarity and not charity,” Brittany Packnett once said. “You are no one’s savior. You are a mutual partner in the pursuit of freedom.”

From,

Madelynne Ferro

Features Editor

Students sit on the benches at Founders Garden. | JUSTIN ALEX / THE TEMPLE NEWS