Pamela Mitchell: Activist, Organizer, West Philly Neighborhood Woman by Van Stone vspfoundation@yahoo.com

Pamela Mitchell: Activist, Organizer, West Philly Neighborhood Woman by Van Stone vspfoundation@yahoo.com


Pamela Mitchell, Ardyss International
Association Director.

Pamela Mitchell is more than five feet tall. She is just about six feet tall. Some might find her height to be an advantage, especially if they are looking up to Pamela because her friends, neighbors and colleagues say that Pamela will get things done for you when you need her.

Pamela doesn’t raise her voice much, nor is she particularly demanding of attention, but make no mistake—she deserves praise. Mitchell is a neighborhood woman.
A native of West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pamela became an active participant in the West Philly women’s rights movement beginning in the late 1980’s which later led her to neighborhood and community organizing surrounding issues pertaining to ethnicity and race, housing and homelessness, poverty and politics.

Much of her work was done in the small community between 46th and 48th Streets, Haverford Ave. to Fairmount Ave. Throughout her time in West Philly, Mitchell has worked with neighborhood women groups which operate on a local community level to function as global coalitions of networks, institutions and individual professionals. These coalitions are working for the advancement of grassroots women-led community development work.

Upon graduating from Penn State University with a BA in Communications, Pam entered the work force with no clear idea of which career field she wanted to pursue. After four years in telecommunications and customer service, her supervisor advised her and her female staff that the company was folding and that all in their department would be laid off. Pam’s supervisor happened to mention that the Post Office was hiring. Mitchell being the only one who applied was hired within three months.

Pamela remained in the clerk craft for 22 years, enduring tremendous stress and back breaking work. All of which has resulted in a herniated disc in her lower back and tendinitis & bursitis in her wrist and the rotator cuff in her shoulder. She also had to suffer with weight gain in her waistline due to many hours of overtime. And many family doctors agree that too many hours of sitting on a couch or chair at a work-related place causes weight gain in the waistline regardless if the person is female or male.

One thing for sure, the hard work experiences for women helped Pamela to take the lead in being a voice for women values, urban renewal for women, and the ethnic movement—enough distinct voices of women in the West Philadelphia community were rarely heard. And so, after joining the Ardyss International Association, where Pamela banded together with a group of women from the community, she founded her first network marketing group that has enabled her to start her own business and help other women to fight poverty and homelessness.

The group is called Perfect Proportions, Body Basics - By Pam. She uses therapeutic garments and health products to heal women and men while at the same time educate the neighborhood about organizing to strengthen women in the work force.
The products are phenomenal. They consist of reshaping garments designed by orthopedic surgeons, all natural nutritional products, and an awesome skin care line. Women and men can lose 2 or 3 dress or belt sizes in 10 minutes. Pamela herself has used the products for some of her conditions and as a result, she no longer experiences lower back pain from extended periods of standing, bending and lifting. Mitchell has even lost 25 lbs. and 6in. off her waistline. For further information about Pamela and her group encouraging women dealing with a gender battles, racial implications, or better health matters in your community please contact her at 610-209-7263 or email her at bodybasics.bypam@yahoo.com.