24th Street, between Wharton and Reed Streets, will be known as Dorothy D. Allen Way.
PHILADELPHIA (March 4-5,2022 ) –Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson (Second District) will be joined by friends, family and supporters of the late Point Breeze community leader Dorothy D. Allen from 11am-1pm on Saturday, March 5 at the 1300 Block of 24th Street in South Philadelphia for the ceremonial renaming of the street as “Dorothy D. Allen Way.” The honor will recognize and celebrate Ms. Allen’s life, legacy, and dedication to the Point Breeze community.
The event will be held at 24th and Wharton Street, the location of the former Barrett Educational Center (BEC), which Mrs. Allen founded in 1975. Construction of The Dorothy D. Allen Community Center/Foundation building is underway at 24th and Wharton Streets with a tentative opening date of September 2024. The Community Center will continue Mrs. Allen’s legacy of helping the community.
Among those scheduled to speak at the event are Councilmember Johnson; Pennsylvania State Sen. Anthony Williams, Pennsylvania State Rep. Jordan Harris, Jonathan White, Mrs. Allen’s grandson; Harriett Spencer, Mrs. Allen’s niece; Phyllis Randall, close friend, and former employee of BEC and Ryan Taylor, former youth camper at BEC.
“Mrs. Allen was a legend in her Point Breeze community,” Johnson said. “Her unforgettable presence has been sorely missed and will continue to be so. Mrs. Allen was influential in my life. I attended BEC summer camps as a child and BEC got me my first jobs as a camp counselor and with the former Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network in the 1980’s. It is important to salute people for the great work they have done to improve the quality-of-life in Philadelphia and the ceremonial renaming of 24th Street, between Wharton and Reed Streets ‘Dorothy D. Allen Way’ is a perfect tribute to Mrs. Allen and her legacy.”
Mrs. Allen distinguished herself as a community leader. In the mid-1970s, she was inspired to join the fight against hunger and obtained a grant from the City of Philadelphia to administer a food program in South Philadelphia.
She founded the BEC in 1975 at the corner of Wharton and Bucknell streets in South Philadelphia. It moved to its home at the 1300 South 24th St (24th and Wharton Streets), where it remained for more than 30 years. BEC’s services included offering food to needy children to ensure that all educational needs of youth and other community members were met. Programming offered by the center included theater, performing arts, sports, tutoring, and arts and crafts.
Mrs. Allen also ensured that programs for senior citizens were available, including classes such as grant writing and recreational offerings. The Barrett Community Center stopped operations in 2007.
Passionate about serving youth in her community, Mrs. Allen also offered a highly affordable summer camp for local youth, while hiring hundreds of teenagers and young adults, providing many of them their first job opportunity.
In recognition of her love for her neighborhood and her steadfast leadership, Mrs. Allen was also elected block captain for the 1200 block of Bucknell Street in South Philadelphia by her neighbors and served in that role for nearly 50 years. She was a stalwart presence at Mt. Hebron Baptist Church in South Philadelphia and served as a deaconess for years.
Mrs. Allen was born on March 4, 1923 and grew up in the Point Breeze neighborhood. She attended the former Southwark High School, now known as South Philadelphia High School. She later received vocational training in the needle trades and became an expert seamstress.
As a seamstress, she started a garment business with her future husband, Robert Allen, in 1948, training and employing members of their South Philadelphia community. Later, she went to work at the Quartermaster Depot in South Philadelphia for over two decades, making uniforms for military service members
At the time of her passing in December 2019 at the age of 96, Mrs. Allen left behind a large, thriving family including two children, six grandchildren, and a host of greatgrandchildren. But she also left behind a larger extended “family” of friends, neighbors, and community members who loved her and whom she cherished deeply. In a fitting tribute to her loving, selfless dedication, they were listed alongside her biological family members in her obituary and gathered in large numbers to honor her life.
Philadelphia City Council Resolution #220151 creating the ceremonial “Dorothy D. Allen Way” was sponsored by Councilmember Johnson and approved by City Council in February 2022.
Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, a former Pennsylvania State Representative, represents the 2nd Council District, which includes parts of Center City, South Philadelphia, and Southwest Philadelphia. He is Chairman of City’s Council’s Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention.
