Janet Powell
Strawberry Mansion is a neighborhood in the United States City of Philadelphia, Pa. Located east of Fairmount Park in North Philadelphia. The neighborhood is bounded by 33rd street in the west, 29th street in the east, Lehigh Ave. and Oxford St. in the north. This is my neighborhood.
My first memory of where I grew up is watching the house that was directly across the street. It was a three-story brownstone with a round corner window on the second floor. The windows allowed views on 27th St both north and south, from Cumberland to York Sts. I was fascinated by that window. I would at the age of 6, watch that house either from the step out front, or the 2nd floor living room window. I would watch the goings and comings of the German family that were our neighbors. One of the sons who lived in that house rode a motorcycle. It was an amazing site and sound at my age. On Saturday’s his mother would hoist her windows, hang out and beat her rugs and wave at me while I watched her. When they moved, I was sad. It was not because our families were close but because they were familiar.
Strawberry Mansion was home to a number of Philadelphia wealthy families in the 19th century. Almost into the mid 1920’s it was a mixed income, predominately Jewish neighborhood. It was after WW11, when up from the south came “Black” southerners looking for work and prosperity. They came, worked in the factories, the laundries, the navy yard, the clothing industries, The Budd Company, Mrs. Paul’s, Tastykake, Campbell’s Soup in Camden, NJ and some opened businesses. My grandfather opened Powell Funeral Home in 1929. There were many 1st generations “Black” owned businesses in the neighborhood. Our dentist and doctor was Black. Ironically, the prosperity was a segregated prosperity. We purchased goods from the Jewish merchants. They hired Black women to clean their houses. Blacks were clients of the Black lawyers, doctors, dentists, realtors, and funeral homes. They too purchased from the Jewish merchants. The money earned allowed Black resident’s children to go on to college. Ironically, those children had to attend colleges back in the south were their parents had migrated from. Upon their return to Philadelphia after graduating, the children of the second generation either opened offices or joined their family’s businesses in Strawberry Mansion, as did my Mom.
I am the third generation of the business started by my grandfather. It was that generation of both trades’ people and business owners who grew the city of Philadelphia. All also financially supported and grew center city. There were no suburbs as there are today. It was the economic evolution through separatism that made prosperity for everyone who were residents of the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood, renamed ‘The Village “by its’ current residents.
I attended Walton Elementary School, on 27th St, as did my mother. By the time I reached 6th grade, fear overwhelmed the psyche of the residents. Fear on both sides from the history about who we all are. As the cultures divided, houses sold and services were also sold. Fear remains in the area today.
Modern Strawberry Mansion has acquired the reputation as one of the most dangerous areas of Philadelphia. I remain. I am the only Black business owner still operating in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood since the days of a collective and separated prosperity. It is an area that is treated with disdain by outsiders. It is however, a neighborhood that can teach the rest of Philadelphia a few survival techniques at this time of economic challenges. It is a neighborhood of residents who are at home and who live quite well, in spite of poorly educated children, and the elders who live invisibly. The residents are also victims of ego driven leadership.
City fathers need to remember the legacy dreamed and worked by the elders. It is imperative that they remember the legacy of responsibility. We are all challenged to work hard. We need just a little help like Business Privilege Tax breaks to keep and start businesses. Instead of cutting much needed resources and services to its children and elders, rescind the tax abatements. Release vacant properties to those that can work and invest in them for the change we’re being asked to initiate.
The Strawberry Mansion area is about to be the thorn that will destroy the integrity of a city hall that is headed by the party that is encouraging care and concern and fairness in services and education for all of its residents. Yes, increased police presence is apparent but very few of these areas children are criminals. Fairness in this community is not the order of the day. It may take “The Village “.
Janet Powell
janetwarmwind@aol.com
