By Sallie-Elizabeth Clayton, January 9, 2020 — I grew up in South Philadelphia, where I lived for most of my life until six years ago when I moved into a co-op here in Center City. This was the village that raised me.
My mom settled in an area where she had no family members but made a family from the people on our block, across and down the street and the apartments below and above us.
This group of people nurtured me, looked out for me, and watched my every move while my mom worked as a housekeeper and part-time caterer from 11 am to 8 pm on weekdays.
We lived on a city street filled with row houses joined together from side to side. Some were single homes and others were apartment buildings mostly — two and three stories tall. It was a time when people really cared about each other and we shared just about everything. This neighborhood was composed of small businesses of Mom and Pop stores, churches, butcher shops, taverns, and community centers, and small grocery stores.
We would buy from these businesses from Monday to Saturday and “pay-up” on the weekend when everyone got paid.
Most of the folks in my village had migrated from the South and settled in the large cities seeking a better life. For many, it was not a better life, but a different life of very hard work to support their families. Despite this, it was a nurturing place of friendly and loving people, who came together to live their best life.