When a community is connected, the collective staying power is worth its weight in gold. And that’s what humanity is going to need as we continue to forge ahead in uncharted waters. I’m being reminded by life right now to take what I need, and leave the rest…in God’s hands. I’ll tell you more about that in the first few minutes, but then we get to what this episode is really about: Nneka’s Innerview.

Nneka Azuka is an Emerging Leader Fellow (from the Stoneleigh Foundation) at The Village of Arts and Humanities, where I currently serve as Editor of their Staying Power Newsletter.

During her two-year-long fellowship, Nneka is tasked with increasing The Village’s capacity for community organizing and neighborhood power-building as an effective strategy for more equitable access to the resources that reduce violence and reverse disinvestment policies. She works closely with the Community Connectors—comprised of Philadelphians from all walks of life who are compensated to help share resources, stories, and build community power in the 19133, specifically the Fairhill/Hartranft neighborhood.

Throughout this year, I’ve been training and working with them around storytelling for the newsletter, and this Innerview, which served as an introduction to Nneka for our readers and community members, was a part of that process. The thing is, it was so good, I obtained permission to share it here. The reality is, humanity’s collective staying power is bigger than the 19133, so if there’s momentum building there that can empower us all, so be it!

I hope that, as you experience this Innerview, something lights up in and through you. And as it does, may something in someone else be sparked, and so on, and so on.

We are stronger together, and that’s what can (and will) make our Staying Power a force to be reckoned with.

To learn more about the village, visit www.villagearts.org or follow @thevillagephilly.

Staying Power - Aug. 2025 edition | Staying Power - Sept. 2025 edition