At 2951 Dauphin Street A once neighborhood bar is jam packed with locals. Men are seen in the back chatting and planning the future of the place, while children and teens are having fun in the front. At 2951 Dauphin Street a former neighborhood bar is now a learning center. Where the bar once stood is now computer stations, and the entrance way leads you to two large bookshelves piled high with books. Kevin Upshur, whose mom originally owned the bar, now owns and operates the Strawberry Mansion Learning Center, in North Philadelphia. 

Kevin Upshur was inspired by his late mother Shirley Upshur, who would talk to Kevin about what was happening with the youth in the neighborhood. She believed the men in the neighborhood were the catalysts of positive change.

Even though the bar was a local landmark in the community, Kevin realized the influence this building had on the people within the community. Even with the bar, Shirley and Kevin knew there was potential to make building to that would serve the community.

Unfortunately, Shirley Upshur passed away before she had a chance to see her vision come to life. After his mom’s passing Kevin knew he wanted to use the building to reach out to the community. “I wanted to do something positive for the kids, create a better community than what we have.”

The community in which the Strawberry Mansion is located, is a stark contrast to the environment in the Learning Center. The streets are lined with abandoned buildings and on almost every corner there is a liquor/fast food store. Crime and shootings plague the area and the neighborhood has a reputation of being one of the most dangerous places in Philadelphia. Urban decay and economic decline are contributing factors to the neighborhood’s troubles. There are two large low-income housings complexes located in the neighborhood. The streets are tense with frustration of the current conditions the people are living in.

Kevin’s Learning Center, in a neighborhood full of darkness, is the light of positive change which could help the people within his community. Instead of having a destructive impact on the neighborhood, the Strawberry Mansion Learning Center is helping contribute to community improvements. And it is the community members who are making it all happen, doing it for themselves and the future of the neighborhood.

The original idea for the building was to convert the bar into a book store, to provide books to a community that otherwise wouldn’t have access to them. But that idea was quickly resolved. Kevin realized his dreams of having a book store wouldn’t properly serve the community’s needs. As Kevin explained, “they would be more interested in other cultural things like poetry and food.”

So he got to work, calling the men in the neighborhood for a meeting to brainstorm possible solutions. Initially the men reached out to the community by having community days, providing food and games for adults and kids. It was a success, but Kevin knew there was more to be done. In 2008, with the help of grant money, Kevin and the men were able to purchase computers knowing this was the start of Shirley’s vision. Soon after, the neighborhood learning center began to establish classes and workshops focusing on tutoring boys aged 8-12 in math and reading.

Now the community center is thriving, open every day afterschool and in the afternoon on Saturdays. The community center provides personal computer instructions from Andrew Carn, a professor in the English and Mass Communications Department at Lincoln University and also a former State Representative. “Most people come in wanting to use the internet for emails and online job applications, I sit down and give them personalized instructions on what they want to learn,” said Andrew Carn. There is also a book club for boys who are currently reading the Autobiography of Malcom X. And to enhance their understanding of his life, they travelled to New York City with Kevin to see the Betty Shabaz memorial foundation.

Impact on the members: Even with the short time the Learning Center has been in operation, the impact on the kids and adults is visible. Two brothers who attend the book club meetings have said what they are learning in book club is helping them in their classes as school. Bill Richardson, an adult member now has the resources to use email and also to write a newsletter for local Transport Union 234 members.

The learning center provides other opportunities such as anger management classes for men and boys, a Rights of Passage class for both boys and girls and held separately to make for a comfortable environment. “We want the boys and girls to feel comfortable talking about the problems they face while growing up” Kevin explained. And once in a while Kevin will bring in motivational speakers who are from the community and can share experiences. 

What the Future entails: Although the Learning Center is thriving, Kevin still sees room for growth and expansion. To help aid with the cost of the utility bills, Kevin wants to institute a membership fee: $10 a month per person and $20 a month for a family of four. This will entitle members access to computers, giving them priority over non-members. And members will be able to sign out books at their leisure as well as attend classes that the learning center will feature.

Eventually, Kevin would like to expand the learning center physically by knocking down the wall that separates their building with the lot next door. “We’ve always talked about expanding, even when we owned the bar, now it is becoming a real possibility,” Kevin said. “That would give us room for a performance space for poetry and dance and maybe even more computers.”

“We are also looking for volunteers,” Kevin said with a smile. “Anyone who has a skill or knowledge to offer, even if they just want to come in to speak about their experiences to help inspire the kids.”

Inspiration is a key word for Kevin Upshur and the Strawberry Learning Center. The learning center would not have been possible without Shirley Upshur’s inspirational words to Kevin, persuading him and other men to help make a positive change in their community. And now Kevin is filling his mother’s role, inspiring others to learn and be involved in a positive educational environment. “When we had the bar,” Kevin said, “we were numbing minds, now with the learning center we have the power to inspire them."