There is no ‘I’ in team … but there is an ‘I’ in neighbor. When you collect enough of those little ‘I’s’, it becomes a neighborhood. And while there’s still an ‘I’ in neighborhood, the difference is that this time, those little ‘I’s’ are united in working together towards the cleanliness, safety, and uplifted spirit of a shared community. That’s how it should be, and that’s the environment that West Philadelphia block captains are trying to cultivate.
Nicole Latney, a Mantua block captain, recalls growing up around the corner from her current home on Melon Street. She was fond of her neighbors and the respect and trust they built among each other. With post-COVID isolation and the cost of living on a steady rise, Latney’s focus is on offering her block more resources to ease the tension and welcome respect and trust back into the neighborhood. With an occupation in psychotherapy outside of being a block captain, she highlights transparency and understanding in her role.
“Philadelphia, to me, is high-energy. Everybody is overworked, everybody is tired, and everybody is kind of not coping well,” explains Latney.
Due to a history of some blocks being forgotten in the allocation of attention and resources, Latney takes the time to research different supportive measures and even pays out of pocket for needed materials. Just as community is given, it is also received. While it can be hard to voice a need for support in a role where you are considered the head, Latney has established an open line of communication with her block where accountability and empathy can coexist.
“Being a block captain is being able to bring the neighbors together along with myself and have everybody do their part. I just need to ask for help,” said Latney.
It can be hard to find people interested in keeping up with the pace of block captain work and its sometimes inconvenient schedules. Most block captains are middle-aged or older adults. This can cause a disconnect in engaging a younger audience in terms of technology use and marketing their events and meetings. Since a block captain relies significantly on in-person interactions as well, it can also be very physically trying for older community members to complete door-to-door communications or set up and execute block clean-up dates. Cheryl Jackson, a block captain for over 10 years and head of a Concerned Block Captains organization for more than seven years, recognizes that a lot of younger community members are renters instead of owners, which may account for the lack of urgency in tending to an area which is only considered temporary for them.
“I have been here for 52 years; most of the people on my street I’ve known all my life. Unfortunately, most of the time when we have a block clean-up, it’s mostly seniors doing the work. With a lot of renters and gentrification, it’s very hard to get the newer people to come out,” said Jackson.
Jackson describes the back-and-forth of handling phone calls for hours to resolve one issue on the to-do list. And taking into consideration the few individuals who participate in block captain initiatives and protocols, patience is a virtue. That’s not to say that a neighbor’s issue won’t be taken seriously, Jackson holds block captain meetings that are open to the public for neighbors to safely voice any concerns, opinions or suggestions.
“That’s what we need: communication in the audience, so there’s an understanding of what they need in order for us to provide it for them. If there’s no communication or participation, we can’t get anywhere,” explains Joyce Brooks, a block captain who also serves as a community outreach activist and a Philly Truce mediator.
West Philadelphia block captains plant the seeds for change. However, that change comes to fruition with acknowledgment and enrichment from not only block captains but the inclusion of such efforts from city officials and neighbors alike. And yes, while there is an ‘I’ in neighbor, there is also an ‘us’ in inclusion.