I really enjoy writing profiles — see earlier post about winning first prize in the PA Press Club contest in that category — and this one was special: Mekia Elizabeth was The Philadelphia Citizen’s Citizen of the Year and she is really inspiring. I so often feel like these are dark times, then I talk to people like her. She recommended a book to me and, if it affects me as it affected her, I’ll share more about it. I’ve pasted the first six paragraphs of the story below the photol
Where others see dead ends, Mekia Elizabeth sees possibilities.
An undeveloped plot of land in her Southwest Germantown neighborhood? That would be the perfect place for a fruit and vegetable garden. A rarely used and run-down parish house? Let’s make that a community clubhouse and safe afterschool space. The front porch of her own home? Why not set up a mini coffee shop and hire local kids to staff it?
“When I go to a place and I see nothing, I envision what it could be,” says Elizabeth, 37, (whose legal surname is Matthews, but prefers to use Elizabeth as her last name, she says, in honor of her grandmother Elizabeth and other “women who carried and shaped me”). The visionary believes her former career as an event planner helps her see the potential in places and people. “That’s my gift.”
Elizabeth’s enthusiasm is infectious: In the six years she’s spent building a small village within a bustling city, she’s inspired dozens of dedicated neighbors to work to overcome problems that can stem from race, age, or income differences. Hers is a neighborhood where teenagers once viewed as potential troublemakers now organize all-ages summer events, and long-time residents who previously felt sidelined now showcase dormant skills.
“People learn each others’ names. Families who never cross paths feel like they belong. They see kids once labeled as ‘bad’ running popcorn machines and serving cotton candy and hot dogs,” Elizabeth says. “Our work doesn’t just give us new experiences. It gives us new eyes and new hearts.”
For all she does, and all she’s planning to do in the future, The Philadelphia Citizen is honoring Elizabeth with its Block Captain of the Year award. She will be honored alongside her fellow Citizens of the Year at a dinner celebration on April 22, at Fitler Club Ballroom. (You can read about all of this year’s winners here, and find out about tickets and sponsorships for the star-studded event here.) The modest honoree says the recognition gives her the opportunity “to tell the story of what’s happening here, because what’s unfolding on our block and in our neighborhood is a miracle.”
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