Toll the Bell: 2026
Though these are troubling realities, there are real signs of hope. According to the Civic Coalition to Save Lives, Philadelphia made history in 2025, recording the fewest homicides in nearly 60 years, fewer than half the number seen at the peak of the pandemic era in 2021. Shootings have fallen by more than 40% since then. Despite these remarkable gains, we still live within a society that has grown accustomed to regular gun violence. It is in the headlines so frequently that often we don't even register how devastating the problem really is, or stop to consider who the victims, our fellow citizens and neighbors, truly are. It remains easy to become desensitized. Progress is fragile, and there is still so much work to do.
For me, the answer has been through my work at Penn Live Arts and Toll the Bell, a city-wide sound installation on National Gun Violence Awareness Day that strives, as my friend and Penn colleague, the Reverend Charles (Chaz) Howard once put it, to call us back into caring about this issue.
Sound has been used for centuries to alert communities of danger and to call neighbors together to share moments of reflection, worship or celebration. Truly, no American city is more connected to the imagery, history and symbolism of the bell than Philadelphia. Through collective sound making, Toll the Bell provides a sonic disruption that serves as a call to action, a warning and an invitation to Philadelphians to stop and remember our fellow citizens who have tragically lost their lives and to get involved in catalyzing change.
On Friday, June 5, the day begins at the Annenberg Center at 12:15 PM with an interfaith vigil service, followed by a reflective walk to the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral. At 1 PM, the city-wide sound installation begins, with church bells and other sound making ringing out from nearly 50 sites across the region. From Mother Bethel AME Church and Christ Church in Old City, to Congregation Rodeph Shalom on Broad Street, to Swarthmore College and the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia in Aston, our partners span faith traditions, neighborhoods and counties. The Cathedral then hosts a reception from 1:15 to 2:30 PM where community members can gather, connect and learn more from community partners working to make change.
A project of this scope requires tremendous coordination, persistence, and above all, partnership. Over three years, we have worked with communities of faith, neighborhood organizations, universities and advocacy groups to build something that has become the Philadelphia region's largest community-wide event supporting National Gun Violence Awareness Day. That breadth, from Al-Aqsa Islamic Society in North Philadelphia to P'nai Or in Mount Airy to the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul on the Parkway, reflects something real about this city and its willingness to come together across difference in service of a shared cause.
Through organizations like Eddie's House, Heeding God's Call to End Gun Violence, and the Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia, your fellow citizens are working hard every day to connect with victims' families, provide alternatives for our youth and create space to process tragedy. These efforts, combined with increased support from the city, have made real progress, but there is still much more to do.
As we mark this third chapter of Toll the Bell, we ask you to take some time on Friday, June 5 to join us. Come to the Annenberg Center for the vigil, walk with us to the Cathedral and be outside at 1 PM to hear the bells ring across the city. Or simply visit a partner site to reflect in whatever way is meaningful to you and learn about ways to get involved. My hope is that you will be with us that day, hearing the call and carrying this work forward long after the bells go quiet.
