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Celebrating and honoring Patricia Ford for her tireless advocacy for her community, her love for her children, and her devotion to improving the lives of people across Philadelphia, on the occasion of Black History Month.
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WHEREAS, Patricia Ford was born in Philadelphia, living in a two-parent home. Her father was one of the first Black people to work for the Philadelphia Water Department, and they were one of the first few Black families to own their own home. She went to a neighborhood junior high school, and was accepted into Dobbins to do art for high school - every Saturday morning she would take the trolley for 22 cents to Fleisher Art Memorial for classes; and
WHEREAS, After finishing high school, she went to community college for a year before she decided to start working. She started at Girard Bank before moving to the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, and then to Merrill Lynch tracking down lost checks and bonds; and
WHEREAS, Patricia met her husband as a teenager, and he would write to her after he left Philadelphia to join the coast guard. She visited him in Corpus Christi, Texas, for five months before coming back to Philadelphia and getting married. They eventually moved back to Virginia for five years, and eventually again came back to Philadelphia before having their second child; and
WHEREAS, Although she does not quite know what it is about Philadelphia that she loves so much, Patricia simply does - she cannot live without Philadelphia. She’s been to Paris, lived in Texas, Detroit, Ohio, South Carolina and all across the world, but loves Philadelphia above anywhere else. She remembers how happy she was growing up making art, and never felt too put-upon; and
WHEREAS, Patricia and her mother were living together in an apartment when it was hit by a fire. They moved in with family in Nicetown, where her mother began developing kidney failure treated through dialysis; they helped her find supportive care and found a home, where Patricia has now lived 39 years. The community, like all communities, has changed over the period - crime has increased, trees are gone as police thought they could better see crime from helicopters without trees blocking their view, and homeowners take less care of their space. Patricia soon took a job with the Postal Service, beginning by sorting mail before passing the mail carrier exam - she became one of three female mail carriers when she started. She won an award for going above and beyond trying to deliver mail. She worked there for ten years, until her mother became ill; and
WHEREAS, Not long after her mother passed away in 2003, Patricia was feeling out of it and wanted to find ways to plug back in. She learned about the community center nearby and started volunteering, eventually becoming a board member of the Nicetown CDC and joining the Nicetown Block Captain Committee and becoming a junior Block Captain. Last, April she participated in a press conference with State Representative Stephen Kinsey regarding possible cuts to Social Security. And the most fun she's had in recent years is working with young people with the Working Family Party in this last election. She has worked to get and distribute as much information as she could to her neighbors, and takes comfort in knowing there are still folks in the neighborhood working to get things done; and
WHEREAS, Patricia has seen the increased difficulty of getting the community involved in maintaining itself, but there are still a number of folks working to get things done for the community. She understands that every young person makes mistakes, and that life is about what you learn from those mistakes. She wants to encourage young people to make mistakes, cry a little, then try again. At her age, she has learned to laugh at her mistakes and move on; and
WHEREAS, To her, the main thing people can do is to always have their children’s state of mind at heart. If you can take care of their safety and mental stability, they’ll grow up knowing someone cares about them, and they will contribute to the community around them. Show the kids love because the world needs every person to learn how to love; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby celebrates and honors Patricia Ford for her tireless advocacy for her community, her love for her children, and her devotion to improving the lives of people across Philadelphia, on the occasion of Black History Month.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Patricia Ford as an expression of the gratitude and admiration of the Council of the City of Philadelphia.
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