Help Our 83-Year-Old Mother Reclaim Her Home and Her Legacy

Donation protected

Hi, my name is Taji, and on behalf of my five siblings and I, I’m asking for your help for our 83-year-old mother, a woman who has given her life to family, faith, and building a home full of love.

Both of our parents were born and raised in abject poverty, in a neighborhood where addiction, incarceration, and violence swallowed potential whole, where success stories were rare, and escaping the cycle felt nearly impossible. It was West Philly neighborhood known as The Bottom, and in my father’s case especially, who was caught up in the streets early, that name nearly became prophetic. But after embracing the Islamic faith, and each other, our parents began to rewrite that story.

Many years ago, while my mom was pregnant with her fifth child (I was her sixth and last), they took over a run-down FOI (Fruit of Islam) house in the West Mount Airy section of Philadelphia. Through whatever means they could manage, they poured everything they had into transforming the blighted structure into a warm, beautiful home. It became our family’s anchor. They raised children here, built community here, and held each other down in the hardest of times.

When my father passed away in 2005 from cancer-related complications after over 40 years of marriage, my mother never remarried. She’s remained in the home ever since, doing everything she can to hold the family together in his absence. The house has been a symbol of stability, strength, and sacrifice.

Shortly after his death, in a state of mourning and facing financial challenges unbeknownst to her children, she took out a reverse mortgage on the home. While it allowed her to stay independent for while, it came at a cost: when she passes, the house will go to the bank. And it breaks her heart that after decades of care, love, and hard work, there will be nothing left to pass down. No physical reminder of what she built practically brick by brick with my father. No family home to return to. Just a structure handed over to a predatory lender.

As she settles into the latter stages of her life, it’s a weight she never expected to bear. It seems to have become her final burden, even as she continues trying to hold our family together. She’s a proud woman who has always put others first—often to her own detriment—and has never been one to ask for help. That spirit of giving defined her life’s work: after earning her GED and graduating from Jefferson University’s nursing program, she went on to serve as a nurse for over 35 years. She became known throughout the community for her quiet generosity, her instinct to help those in need, and her unwavering compassion. My father was no different—he took pride in protecting people and giving others a sense of safety and respect.

I’ve been living with my mother since a few years after my father passed, serving as her primary caretaker in these later years. And I see what this home means to her every single day, even when she tries to hide the weight of it. Her pain has begun to weigh on all of our hearts.

Tomorrow is not promised for any of us, and especially not for someone her age. We’re hoping to raise at least $500,000 to contribute toward buying the home back from the reverse mortgage lender, so that this chapter of her life doesn’t end in loss, but in dignity, honor, and restoration.

While our main hope is to save the home itself, we also understand how ambitious this goal is. If we fall short, the funds will still be used to honor her legacy; either by helping secure another place where she can live out her days with dignity, or by using the value of this home to carry her love and labor forward in another form. Whatever happens, your support helps ensure her story doesn’t end in erasure.

If you believe in honoring our elders, in giving flowers while they’re still here, and in preserving the sacred spaces Black families have fought to build, please consider donating. No amount is too small. And if you can’t give, sharing this with someone who can would mean the world.

I've created a spoken word song called “The Tusks of a Rabbit” in tribute to my mother’s strength, love, and quiet power. Please give it a listen, It tells part of her story. Listen on SoundCloud (or search “The Tusks of a Rabbit” by Taji Aqib on any music platform).

As another window into the world by parents built, I've included a rare home video, a 2003 reenactment of A Cabin in the Sky performed at our house as a surprise birthday tribute to my father. He passed away in 2005, along with my grandmother (on my mother’s side), and both, whom were rarely captured on photo or film, appear in this video, I believe for the last time. This footage doesn’t just capture a performance; it captures a house once filled with life, family, and love.