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Patty Jackson has been in the radio business for more than 20 years. She has received awards from across the Tri-State area and from people she had never met.
On Aug. 28, she received her first hometown honor.
“It just felt good to be honored at home. Lots of old neighbors came back to see me,” Jackson, 46, said.
The local girl from 23rd and Ellsworth streets received the South Philadelphia Living Legends Award at a community celebration held by state Rep. Kenyatta Johnson. Taking place on a sunny Saturday at 22nd Street and Point Breeze Avenue, the event highlighted local talent that has made significant impact on the community.
“He gave me a plaque and a citation from the state,” Jackson said. “Just from being here, being on the radio, lots of people know me because they listen to me. [Rep. Johnson said] you may hear her on the radio or see her on TV. We became friends when he first got in to politics and we knew a lot of the same people.”
Also honored at Saturday’s ceremony was 11-year-old Ziainey Z. Stokes who created a peer mediation program to prevent bullying, as well as community activist Michael Coard, Esq. The event featured food, vendors and music.
“This was an opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate each other and our accomplishments,” Johnson said in a press release. “We recognized 18 individuals and organizations who are all serving their communities in a positive way.”
Jackson, who has always proudly supported her neighborhood roots, remains active in promoting South Philadelphia.
“When you’re from some place, it always feels great [to be honored there],” Jackson said. [Kenyatta] spoke from the heart, growing up in South Philly. It was a wonderful event — they honored a young girl who is doing activist work in her community, a member of the Intruders, they honored a boxer, Simon Carr, who went from being incarcerated and who turned his life around and is doing something positive. It was really putting the spotlight on those who are from the area.”
Jackson spent her entire life in her Point Breeze home, moving away five years ago only because the building became uninhabitable.
“I always liked South Philly and if my house hadn’t collapsed I would probably still live there,” Jackson, who resides in Montgomery County, said.
Jackson’s schooling began at Southwest Philadelphia’s Lambert Elementary, continued at Audenried, 3301 Tasker St., and moved to South Philly High, 2101 S. Broad St. Her ability to capture an audience was apparent from early on.
“I was the high school basketball announcer and the announcer for the school, on the PA system every morning. We would play a song and talk about the school event,” Jackson said. “I always had something to say. At my church, at 19th and Fitzwater, I would lead worship service for the church on Sunday. I was always placed in front of a microphone, all my life.”
After high school and clear on her future plans, Jackson attended American Academy for Broadcasting at Eighth and Chestnut streets and six months later she was on the radio in Camden, N.J.
“The pastor knew the man who was doing the radio show. I was doing an internship and someone didn’t show up. I have held the job ever since,” Jackson said. “I was very dedicated. I think they liked my personality and I was doing it.”
Jackson said R&B and soul are her own listening preferences, but she has worked at stations that play everything from rap to country. The genre is not quite as important as the medium.
“Being able to talk to an audience [is the biggest draw of my job]. I love pop culture stuff so it’s easy for me [to DJ],” Jackson said.
The recent Living Legend Award was a huge honor for Jackson, who feels South Philadelphia and its culture are a huge part of her own personality.
“I liked the neighborhood feel. I like knowing my neighbors, knowing your neighbors are right there. It’s a whole different feel,” Jackson, who took her mother with her when she moved out of her childhood home, said. “I love the proximity to Center City, to be close to everything. And the markets everywhere — everywhere I turned. It makes you very spoiled.
“I always come back, and they always say I can’t stay out.”
Though she makes frequent trips to her favorite lifetime haunts, she spends her days broadcasting on the airwaves of WDAS from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and she intends on staying on the microphone as long as people will listen.
“Yes, I want to do this [for the rest of my life],” Jackson said. “I do ‘The 10! Show’ every Friday, I love doing TV and I do a lot of interviews.” SPR
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