Renaming a local street is the latest success in this CNN Hero's mission to change his community

CNN

4 days ago

Growing up in his South Philly neighborhood, Tyrique Glasgow fell into street life at a young age. The experience left him with 11 bullet wounds and a prison record – all of which had roots in the same place.
'(I) sold drugs on Taney Street. Got shot on Taney Street. Everything in the negative handbook,' Glasgow said.
Today, Glasgow is a force for good in the community. Since 2012, he's dedicated his life to making the area safer and stronger through his Young Chances Foundation, which provides hot meals, afterschool programs and crucial resources to those in need – work that earned him recognition as a CNN Hero in 2022.
But for the last five years, Glasgow also worked on a more symbolic effort: renaming Taney Street. Recently, his efforts paid off and the new street signs that went up in March became a daily reminder to Glasgow and his neighbors that change is possible.
In March of 2020, Glasgow learned that the street that loomed so large in his past had been named in honor of Roger Taney, the US Supreme Court justice who wrote the 1857 Dred Scott decision. In this now-infamous opinion, Taney declared that Black Americans were inferior and had no rights under the US Constitution.
'He basically said that we're not as equal to everyone else in the country,' Glasgow said. 'It's so offensive.'
Glasgow first heard about Taney's pro-slavery decision from local activists who had launched an effort to rename the street. He soon joined their group, the Rename Taney Coalition.
'We told him what we were trying to do and because he's Tyrique, he can get stuff done,' said Samaya Brown, one of the group's founders. 'The ball really started rolling when he got involved, thank God.'
Glasgow was happy to use his energy – and his contacts around the city – to achieve this goal.
'I decided to make that one of our staples in our organization,' he said. 'For us, it was about how do we change tomorrow.'
Glasgow and the rest of the coalition worked hard to build support for their plan – meeting with politicians, working with community groups, and lobbying residents who lived on the street.
'We went door-to-door and got petitions. We hired a band. We did a parade,' Brown said. 'Anything that we could do to educate people.'
Over the five-year effort, volunteers knocked on every door along the four-mile street, and according to the group, 94% of residents were in favor of the change. Even one of Taney's descendants, Joy Taney, supported the effort.
The public was also encouraged to weigh in on whom the street should honor. Ultimately, they selected Caroline LeCount, an educator and activist who fought to integrate the city's streetcars in the 1860s – considered by some to be Philadelphia's Rosa Parks. Glasgow helped develop a coloring book to share her story.
'The coloring book was something that we gave the kids, not just to have fun with, but to learn the history,' he said. 'She was someone that I respect.'
Despite strong public support, renaming the street was no easy task and involved coordinating with the US Postal Service as well as the city. Finally, last November, the city council held a public hearing where Glasgow, Brown, and others spoke and the bill unanimously passed. In December, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker signed it into law, making LeCount the first Black woman to have a street named after her in the city.
Glasgow relished the victory and how people had come together to achieve it.
'It was a good team effort, from the re-naming committee to the youth, the community groups, the elected officials. … Everyone had a voice in it,' he said.
When the street signs on his block were finally replaced in March, Glasgow was there.
'To see it come down and hit the ground was really humbling,' he said. 'To put someone up there that respected our life [sic] … and wanted our tomorrow to be better, makes me feel proud.'
Glasgow continues to find new ways to help his neighbors. He recently renovated his nonprofit's community center and created a junior broadcast center for local youth. This summer, he has been holding free classes to teach teens how to use the cameras, editing systems, and podcasting equipment. He believes it's an important way to empower them and showcase the positive news in the neighborhood.
'They're going to be able to … tell their own story,' he said.
Gun violence continues to blight Glasgow's neighborhood, most recently in a deadly gun battle last month that left three people dead and 10 wounded. Incidents like this deeply affect him – he knew most of the recent victims – and even in grief, he continues his mission. And now, when he walks down the block, the LeCount Street sign is a powerful reminder that his work does make a difference.
'It really made me see that it takes time, but it's the legacy that you leave behind that's important.'