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. Previously, he he created the startup the print media and online media format after his 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. Stone 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, Daycare Teacher and Public Safety Crossing Guard. 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.
