Philadelphia honors The Links, Incorporated with street renaming: "This is pride, legacy"

Eighty years ago, two Philadelphia visionaries started The Links, Incorporated to help the Black community in every aspect of life. Now, the national nonprofit is being honored in Philadelphia with a street renaming.

At the intersection of South 46th Street and Kingsessing Avenue, Mayor Cherelle Parker came out Friday to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the nonprofit with the reveal of The Links, Incorporated Lane.

"While we are linked in friendship and connected in service, the outcomes of this organization and how we have impacted neighborhoods and communities across this nation, it is what stands out," Parker, who is a member of the Philadelphia chapter, said.

The impact and legacy of The Links is based in sisterhood. It's one of the country's oldest and largest volunteer organizations. With 305 chapters across the country, the nonprofit has served over 15 million people in the past two years.

Members from numerous states made the trip to the founding city of Philadelphia to see the unveiling.

"Imagine what was going on in 1946, to really think about how we come together to support each other and serve our communities where we weren't getting resources necessarily from anywhere else," Zakiya Black Barnett, president of the Philadelphia Links chapter, said.

The house adjacent to the sign was the first meeting place of The Links, Incorporated, in 1946.

"To be able to kind of put a permanent mark on the street, on this city is a big deal to us," Black Barnett said.

Each chapter serves its communities in different ways, and members say they're looking forward to the next 80 years of service.

"This is pride, legacy and opportunity," Kimberly S. Reed, a member of the Philadelphia Links chapter, said. "We are about service and friendship."

The Links are now forever linked to their founding streets in Southwest Philadelphia.