OIC Philadelphia celebrates more than 60 years of impact with community block party

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Labor Day weekend celebrations got underway in North Philadelphia on Friday with OIC Philadelphia's fourth annual Alumni and Community Block Party, an event that combined entertainment, food and community resources while highlighting the nonprofit's decades-long mission of workforce development and economic opportunity.

The event featured live music, free food and resource tables for attendees.

Organizers said the celebration was also an opportunity to recognize the impact of Opportunities Industrialization Center, or OIC, which was founded in Philadelphia in 1964 by the late Rev. Dr. Leon Sullivan.

Sullivan's legacy spans civil rights and economic advancement, according to OIC Philadelphia President and CEO Sheila Ireland.

"He wanted to lean in very specifically to help not just people of color but, I would say, people who are disadvantaged," Ireland said.

Ireland also pointed to Sullivan's broader impact.

"The most prevalent example of the work he did was the integration of Tastykake," she said.

OIC provides free job training and career development services and has expanded beyond Philadelphia since its founding.

The organization now counts 55,000 alumni and offers training programs in fields including culinary arts, digital media and information technology.

Among those alumni is Zhakia Thomas, who said the organization played an important role in her development.

"OIC has a lot of resources. And just being here, everyone is so helpful," Thomas said.

Thomas was among those helping prepare for the block party, which celebrates both participants and the programs that support them.

Organizers said OIC's work extends beyond workforce preparation to entrepreneurship and business development.

"It's about economic empowerment and building business as well," Ireland said.

Thomas said she hopes to build on the skills she gained through the program.

"In the future I want to own my own food truck and maybe venture off into brick and mortar," she said.

Ireland said OIC's mission is to help people access opportunities that already exist.

"We know that opportunity exists, but we just want to be the bridge to it," she said.

The block party, which is open to the public, features performances by the Urban Guerilla Orchestra and Philadelphia Freeway as the organization celebrates more than six decades of education, career development and community impact.