Memorial Fund to support Josh's family

The city lost a giant of a person this past weekend. Josh Glenn - a visionary organizer, movement leader, friend, brother, son, husband and, mostly importantly to him, a father - passed away at the age of 35. He leaves behind his wife, Danita, and six beautiful children.

Josh spent his life fighting for other people. He was committed to the movement for racial and economic justice with his whole heart. In 2006, when he was just 18 years old, Josh was a co-founder of the Youth Art & Self-empowerment Project (YASP), where he served as co-director for many years and led the city and statewide movement to end youth incarceration. In his time at YASP, he played a central role in launching many other coalitions and organizations - including Education Not Incarceration, Decarcerate PA, the #No215Jail Coalition, the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund, the Coalition for a Just DA, Care Not Control, and more. In 2019, he led the YASP team in launching the first youth-led participatory defense hub in the nation. Most recently, Josh began working at YEAH Philly, where he continued his legacy of standing up for youth justice.

In his nearly two decades as a movement leader in Philadelphia, Josh spoke at countless events and rallies, and he supported thousands of young people in building power and accessing the resources needed to be in control of their own lives. Many generations of YASP's youth leaders looked up to Josh as their mentor and guiding light in the fight for justice and liberation.

But to Josh, his most important roles were always husband and father. He had a fierce dedication to his family, and there was nothing more important to him than being there for his children, and making sure they had everything they ever needed in life.

In this moment, what his family needs most is for all of us - the larger community that Josh fought so hard for - to wrap our arms around them, and support them through this impossibly difficult time. Please make a donation to help the family cover the cost of Josh's funeral services and to make sure they have their immediate needs met in the months to come. All funds will go directly to Josh's wife, Danita.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, August 24, at Monumental Baptist Church (4948 Locust St). The viewing will be at 9AM, and the service will begin at 10AM. The service will also be live-streamed on Monumental Baptist Church's Facebook page.

For the GoFundMe monitors: I am a close friend of Josh's. His wife, Danita, has asked me to receive these funds and transfer them to her, which I am doing immediately.