Returning to roots

It may seem like nothing more than an average building from the outside. Yet, Donald Lewis knows looks can be deceiving.

"It’s amazing to think that this humble abode could serve as a place that has an actual impact on people," he said.

The "humble abode" Lewis speaks of soon will be transformed into the area’s newest community center.

Located at the corner of Fifth Street and Snyder Avenue, the Agogo Community Center of Philadelphia is Lewis’ response to a "disconnection" he sees between African Americans and their cultural roots. The center will be a way to bridge this gap and, in turn, repair individuals and the community they reside in, he said.

"The center will offer opportunities for people to reconnect to their culture," added Lewis, 54. "Once we are able to embrace this new philosophy in our personal life, one is able to build a very functional life."

Some of the activities the center will host are classes on health and nutrition, male-female relationships, meditation and African languages. Also on the menu are "view, chat and chew" sessions, in which various films are shown and then discussed while participants enjoy a meal.

But the highlight of the center will be its "spiritual reconnection tours" to Ghana, providing interested parties with a deeper look into their cultural roots while experiencing the benefits of being African, said Lewis, who travels to Ghana about three times a year.

Lewis’ journey beganin 1978, after he experienced periods of adversity in his neighborhood.

"I fell prey to the situations you normally find in an inner-city and urban environment, especially for black males," said the activist, who was born and raised on the 2800 block of South Marshall Street.

After having a "change of heart," Lewis joined the Pan African Organization, where he was introduced to Nana Akuoku Sarpong. (Nana is a title that translates into "one charged to serve the community.") Through Sarpong’s teachings on African culture and affairs and various visits to Ghana, Lewis was given the title of "unity king."

"I was given the mission to teach and have people understand that what they are faced with here is a result of being disconnected from their cultural roots," he explained.

While involved with various types of community work in the area, Lewis noticed there wasn’t an outlet where blacks could come together and connect with their culture and heritage of their homeland. Hence, the idea of the community center was born.

The center will pattern itself after village settings in Ghana and other African countries, said Lewis. The "village" will encompass Fourth to Ninth streets and Wolf to Mifflin.

"This is the area where we grew up and where our family is," said Lewis, who lived in the building that houses the center for about 12 years. "Yet, other people from other parts of the city and from outside the city are able to participate in our programs."

The center and the area it encompasses will be structured to include members of an actual African village, including a queen mother, elders and a chief (the title that Lewis himself holds).

The elders, who are handpicked by Lewis, "reflect and exemplify God’s qualities and can service the community at large," he said.

Robert Washington, an elder, has been involved with many of the center’s activities and will continue his volunteer work after its official opening on Saturday.

"There’s nothing like [this community center] in this area," said Washington. "It gives people a vehicle to tap into their history and their culture."

Many of thehelpers Lewis initially picked are no strangers to volunteer work. Sister Jewell Ali, for one, has been involved with the community since 1988. She participates in the "Just About Me" program on South Seventh Street and is a member of the advisory council for the Police Athletic League and Bok Beacon School, Eighth and Mifflin streets.

"Mr. Lewis approached me about a year ago, and it was something I wanted to be a part of," Ali said of the new center. "I work with children in the community and there’s so much history we need to pass on to them."

Discovering the past holds the key to developing a brighter future, and the center would be an effective way to do this, said Ali, of Wynnefield.

"We as African Americans need to know who we truly are. Through this, we can change ourselves and our community. We need to regain the knowledge of ourselves."

The area currently has two community centers that are only a few blocks apart from each other. However, Ali sees the Agogo Center as a way to bring something new to the neighborhood.

"Other centers accommodate other things," she said. "We needed one place to call our own."

There are already strong relationships with other groups in the area, including Asian Americans United, according to Lewis. While the center focuses on reaching out to African communities, Lewis takes pride in how it embraces other ethnic groups in the area, and plans to work with them to create a more connected community.

"We’re not creating some separatist environment," said the activist, who now lives in East Oak Lane. "In order for us to sit at the table of a multicultural environment, we must first embrace our culture and understand it, and then we will become a valid contribution to our society."

Lewis has had preliminary discussions with the neighboring community centers to host an event showcasing various forms of artwork from different cultures.

"We want to organize an ethnic display from an artistic standpoint," he said.

The official openingof the Agogo Community Center will take place on Saturday, in which it will "make its presence known" to the community through numerous indoor and outdoor activities.

Outdoor festivities will consist of a procession down Snyder Avenue, which will include African royalty from Ghana who will officially open up the center. Poetry readings, African music and storytelling for children also will be part of the celebration.

Members of the community will have the chance to hold in-depth discussions with the African royalty, said Lewis.

"Ninety percent of African Americans have never sat with African royalty," he added. "It should be a memorable occasion."

The evening event is a fundraiser held at The View, 800 N. Broad St., and will include guest speakers, live music and dinner. Proceeds will benefit the Agogo Center and the town it is named after in Ghana.

Lewis sits inside the building he owns and uses to run his auto-tag/insurance business. While it has only seven rooms, he knows the center and its mission are bigger than the four walls and roof that contain it.

"The true bridge that connects us all is going back to our cultural foundation. This enables all of us to respect one another, live in harmony with one another and be an asset to one another."

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For more information about the Agogo Community Center, call Gloria Keene at 215-389-0127. Ticket prices for the fundraiser at The View are $50. The event is from 6 p.m. to midnight.