The City Love Show!
Join Brian and David (kinda like a slightly younger, less cool Mister Rogers and Levar Burton….?) from the City Love team each week this summer for our music-filled, love-filled children’s show all about empathy, hope, kindness, joy, creativity, gratitude, fairness, and celebrating our beautiful similarities and differences. Watch the show playlist.
Episode 1: We Belong Together
Episode 2: Damos Gracias (We Give Thanks)
Episode 3: We’re All Made of Stars!
Episdoe 5: Sharing Is Caring
Episode 7: Calling All Authors!
Episode 9: Come to the Garden!
Episode 4: Empathy Is a Superpower!
Episode 6: Make a Silly Song Jar!
Episode 8: Love Is Everywhere!
Episode 10: Addition (Season Finale!)
Who:
Charlie Raboteau, Brian, David and Melissa Roldan-Stills working on The City Love Show (Photo by Charlie Raboteau)
Co-Directors Brian Jordan and Qiana Ganges, David Stills, Natasha Jovan Scotton and Masila Muli at Kidchella Music Festival at Smith Playground (Photo by Anya Rose)
WHO: We are City Love, a West Philadelphia-based social justice music and education group. David and Brian (kinda like a slightly younger, less cool version of Mister Rogers and Levar Burton…?) from the City Love team join forces with filmmaker, artist and musician Charlie Raboteau as well as teacher and theater expert Melissa Roldan-Stills to make The City Love Show, a children’s show embodying and building Dr. King’s Beloved Community with our work.
City Love has shared assemblies, workshops, and performances with tens of thousands of students and educators at schools, colleges, and conferences throughout the country over the last 8 years and released a groundbreaking children's album about race, difference, equity and solidarity called World of Love. Our children’s music video, “Beautiful” has been viewed over 9,000,000 times!
WHY:
WHY: As the landmark University of Chicago and Sesame Workshop study illustrates, “identity matters.” Pandemic and our polarized social climate have made it unmistakably clear that race, class and other aspects of identity can mean life or death; justice or injustice; sickness or health; employment or joblessness; for people all across America. The children participate in these realities and they are ready for these conversations when we approach them gently and thoughtfully.
The Music:
Natasha Jovan, David Stills, Qiana Ganges, Masila Muli and Caselli Jordan at TTF Watershed River Alive Opening Event!
Co-founders Dwight Dunston and Brian Caselli Jordan (photo by Zack Garlitos)
Emyne Sanders-Razul, Dwight Dunston and Brian (Photo by Lancaster Country Day)
Teaching Artists Masila Muli, Nina Elizabeth “Lyrispect” Ball, David and Brian filming the Reading Promise project (Photo by Simone Partridge)
HOW:
HOW: We are using our rich experience as teachers, artists and cultural healers to create The City Love Show where we will meet with people from all walks of life, all races, ages, and creeds telling their stories, sharing their gifts, and making music with us! We like to joke that it’s like Mister Roger’s Neighborhood meets the Oprah Winfrey Show meets Sesame Street. Mister Rogers never shied away from tough topics, and for many families his work shined a light on American realities in a way that was developmentally appropriate, honest, and transformative. Oprah connects so deeply with the heart and soul of America, highlighting moving stories and literally shaping culture. Sesame Street has shaped our culture for decades and has led the way in recent years with their work around race, identity and current events while spreading laughter and joy. In this show we are using our songs and stories to paint a vivid picture of a more loving, just, equitable, sustainable world for the children. We believe that world is within reach. The City Love Show will help shape the bright future we sing about - one song, one dance, one child at a time.
