Title
Also naming Jefferson Street between Broad Street and 13th Street as "Donald 'Ducky' Birts Way."
Body
WHEREAS, Donald "Ducky" Birts was born in Camden, New Jersey, raised alongside his four siblings by the guiding force of his life, his late mother Frankie Mae Birts; and
WHEREAS, Birts attended Camden High School, where he excelled at basketball, football, baseball and gymnastics. Birts later ended up serving as an assistant coach and later as a coach at his alma mater; and
WHEREAS, He became the mainstay of his family at an early age, helping his mother make ends meet by selling newspapers and subsequently obtaining a job at the Garden State Race Track in Cherry Hill, New Jersey as a shoe shine boy; and
WHEREAS, He continued to work multiple jobs in his life, he was employed at the New York Shipyard, working on the "Kitty Hawk." He was later employed at Walmart Tailors, first working as a stock boy and, at intervals, moving up to salesman, to manager and eventually to buyer; and
WHEREAS, It was through this job that he realized his "dream," to own a business. He was able to make this dream a reality in 1964, when he opened a haberdashery called "Ducky's Dashery" at 1119 Haddon Avenue in Camden; and
WHEREAS, In 1968, he relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he met the Reverend Dr. Leon Howard Sullivan, the Pastor of Zion Baptist Church; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Dr. Leon Howard Sullivan became a helping hand in his quest to establish a "Ducky's Dashery" in North Philadelphia. The place was at Progress Plaza, the first Black-owned shopping center in America; and
WHEREAS, Although this task was met with many obstacles, he persevered with resilience and kept going, never giving up. He was able to meet people on all levels regardless of their race or ethnic origin, as he was a charismatic personality with a passion for helping others; and
WHEREAS, Beyond being a business man he was also an active member of his community, as an active member of Zi...
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