Van Stone-Downing (born June 23, 1962) is a
Journalist/Community Activist member of the Black Philadelphians Print/Online/Radio/TV
Media.
He is a 1980 graduate of University City High School in
Philadelphia. He is a student who attended Cheyney University in 1980, a student
who major was study in Business, Recreation and Journalism Broadcasting. He is
a lifetime member of the national group, “The Thoughts of Black Men.” He is the
founder of an American newspaper, the Philadelphia Front Page News, headquartered
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Published online daily, it was created in 2000. The
Front Page News is a private founded organization. He is a Black pioneer who is
the first Black Philadelphian making a switch from live AM/FM radio antenna
frequency creating the first located online newspapers and television and radio
station combinations that allows viewers to read the newspaper, watch video
television format and tune to the independent live radio stream over the
Internet. He followed up the print media and online media format after his previous
first creation of The Philadelphia Front Page News WVSR-AM Education
Broadcasting radio antenna frequency station Newsletter for its readers,
viewers, and car radio boom box radio listeners in 1994. He is an author, has
written several books including a youth novel entitled “Heroes of the Last Q,
(HTLQ)” and a Minister Training handbook called “How to Be a Better Minster.” He
is also a cartoonist that launched the first Black syndicated comic strip which
is named after the HTLQ novel in the Philadelphia newspaper the Philadelphia
Westside Weekly, published by former channel 3 news reporter Tyree Johnson. He owns
the rights to the children’s books and school educational materials based on an
animal character named “Roger Robbie, the Hip-Hop Raccoon.“ Roger Robbie is a
fun animal character created by his 1st and 2nd grade
teacher of an all-boys class at the Alain Locke School for their first and
second grades class room 109 in 1963, Herb Rogers, Jr., longtime educator and former
principal of Dr. Ethel Allen School and illustrated by Robert L. Jefferson. The
two children’s books, “Roger Robbie and the Backward ABC’s” and “Roger Robbie
Discovers Dr. J’s Secrets” are drawn today by Van Stone, artist, and other
artist continuing the animal character legacy. He earned several prestigious
awards for volunteer community organization president service work in Neighborhood
Education Newspaper, Magazine and Broadcasting Licensing, Criminal and Civil
Justice Reform in Philadelphia County and Delaware County, Family and Business
Law Rights in the Courts, Renters Rights and Block Captain Rights, and Paralegal
and Attorney Information Aid. Rogers received many awards including a City
Council of Philadelphia citation and a Pa State Rep, Philadelphia citation. He
is the founder and director of Van Stone Productions Foundation, Inc. a
nonprofit 501 (c3) charitable organization serving but not limited to the State
of Pennsylvania. He completed classes for Mental Health, Counseling and Childcare
Certifications from Penn 1983-2020. Prior to community organization president
service work, Stone-Downing worked as a manager at the WPEB Radio Station, Free-lance
Investigative Newspaper Reporter, and a Philadelphia County and Delco Public School
Assistant Teacher and Daycare Teacher. He has three biological children (Cheyenne
Samara Downing, Samson Dakota Downing, and Samuel Dakota Downing) and two
adopted children Kashim Anthony Turpin and Latonya Turpin. He is a State
Certified Foster Parent fostering and mentoring children in partnership with
Philadelphia Department of Human Services DHS.
He is running as a Democratic Candidate for Pa State House
of Representative 190th Legislative District in the 2020 Democratic primary.
