Remembering the Legacy of Linda Richardson, A Women's History Month Salute

Anyone over the age of forty-five should remember something about the old Uptown Theater at Broad and Susquehanna in the heart of North Philadelphia--if you are from Philly and part of an African American family, in particular. I know that Caucasians would enjoy shows at the old Uptown Theater too, but truly it was a venue for the African American community in its heyday.

The Uptown, that's the theater where James Brown and the Stylistics and Diana Ross, the Jackson Five, Patti LaBelle, and a long list of superstars came to perform in the good old days. It's where popular radio jocks such as Georgie Woods and Jocko Henderson had women so excited that they were throwing their panties on stage at them, and that was before the performers even stepped out on stage. The old Uptown Theater, some had thought, had seen its best days, and they pretty much deemed the Uptown Theater as a "goner." 

But then stepped in North Philadelphia native, the late Linda Richardson, and a small cadre of like-minded people--who had a different vision and better idea for the Uptown, rather than just throwing in the towel. Linda Richardson has always respected history. She loved her community and her city. She always worked to make Philly, and North Philly, in particular, a better place for all to live, work, raise their families, enjoy great entertainment, and thrive in a positive way; to understand why Linda Richardson was driven like she was, you have to know some of her story.

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview two of Linda's daughters, Monifa Young and Mariama Wood-and here is some of what they wanted the public to know about Linda Richardson.

Monifa commented, "We knew our mother just as much as the community knew her. Everything that she poured into the community, she poured into her household. I don't know how she did it, raising five kids. She instilled a sense of community in us and compassion, and a love for education and self-empowerment. I think she modeled for the world things that we got to benefit from directly, in the household."