Kenya Sykes felt disconnected from her hometown.
Her childhood growing up in Plant City was a distant memory, overshadowed by her busy adult life as the owner of an accounting firm in New York City.
But that all changed when she read a Plant City Observer Facebook post shared by one of her Facebook friends. She clicked the link to our story, “Longtime city employee honored with street sign.”
After reading the story and looking at the photo of the street sign dedication for Eddie Brooks, who worked for 46 years at the MLK Recreation Center in Plant City, Sykes decided to share the photo herself, cropping a close-up of the sign, which now marks the circular drive around the rec center.
In the post, she wrote, “The street that changed my life! Bravo sir!”
“It really made me pause and think about my time growing up and the impact he had on my life,” she says. “It was the first time I felt connected in years.”
In this profession, there is nothing better than connecting with your readers. Hearing positive feedback on a story reinforces our objective — to be the best community newspaper serving Greater Plant City. Our stories often are just glimpses into the lives of our readers, and we have the wonderful-yet-challenging task of telling those stories in the best way possible.
On occasion, we have seen our coverage touch those outside of Plant City, far and wide.
When Kenya sent me an email June 24, explaining how touched she was after learning about the street dedication, I knew a rare and wonderful opportunity had presented itself.
TRUE ENTREPRENEUR
After graduating in 1991, from Plant City High, Kenya left the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World to attend Florida A&M University, in Tallahassee, where she earned a degree in accounting.
She then went to work for a top accounting firm in Minneapolis, before earning two master’s degrees in 2007 — from Saint Joseph’s University and Villanova University. Then, she went to New York City, where she started K. M. Sykes, CPA P.C., which recently celebrated its fifth anniversary.
“After leaving for college, I’ve only been back to Plant City to visit,” she says.
She still has family in Plant City, including her mom, but says her busy schedule doesn’t allow her to visit as often as she would like.
Reading the story on Brooks, an essential figure in her life, allowed her to reflect on her childhood.
“You often get into a grind as an adult and can lose touch, but seeing that really touched me,” she says. “He deserved that honor.”
ROLE MODEL
As with many young people who grew up in Plant City, Brooks was both a mentor and friend to Kenya and had an active role in her life.
“I practically saw him every day of my life growing up,” she says. “I was at the rec center all the time, especially during the summer. It was the after-school spot for most kids in my neighborhood.”
When Kenya was in junior high, she helped Brooks start Teen Council and became the first president of the youth leadership and outreach group.
In the summer of 1988, Kenya traveled to Daytona with Brooks and the rest of Teen Council to go on college tours.
“It was the first exposure for many of us to life outside of Plant City,” she said. “For me, it was eye-opening. Just look at where I live now.”
Through Teen Council and later becoming the president of Upper Bound, Kenya developed the strong leadership skills she has today.
“He (Brooks) would always give me opportunities to lead,” she says. “If there was an idea for an organization, he would often give me a lot of the responsibility and tell me to plan things. If it weren’t for stuff like that, I wouldn’t have the confidence or self-esteem I have today.”
Through organizations and other after-school activities that the MLK rec center provided, Kenya developed many of the interests she has today. Using deejay equipment provided by the rec center, she developed a love for the hobby and even had her own deejay company during her time in Minneapolis.
“It was a different time back then,” she says about growing up in Plant City in the 80s and early 90s. “Kids were just kids. The rec center gave us a place to go, and kids appreciated having a place like that to go to every day.”
HAND-DELIVERY
In Sykes’ email, she asked for a copy of the paper that contained the street dedication article.
I received the email two weeks before a planned vacation to New York and New Jersey around the Fourth of July holiday. So, an idea formed to meet Kenya and hand-deliver the article.
After coordinating schedules and navigating through a re-routed subway system, I met Kenya in front of the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse, in Lower Manhattan.
I handed her two copies each of the April 18 and the May 30 editions. The former containing a preview article about the street dedication and the latter coverage of the dedication itself.
Both now sit framed in her New York office.
Sykes hopes to one day start a scholarship in Brooks’ name for someone from Plant City.
“I have always had the desire to pay tribute to him,” she says. “This story rekindles that dream.”
