When Fred Rogers — known to most of us as the beloved Mister Rogers — would ask his mother what to do in times of trouble, she would tell him to “look for the helpers.” This week’s Portrait, Sheila Lorrett Emerson, would certainly fit the bill as one of those helpers.
A former president of the board of PFLAG Philadelphia, Emerson currently serves as a commissioner with the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs. She is a member and volunteer with Philadelphia Family Pride and is going through the formal process of becoming a board member for The Attic Youth Center. Emerson is also a community reporter with PhillyCAM, where she presents uplifting news and stories for marginalized and underrepresented communities. She was a featured speaker at the 60th Anniversary of March on Washington. The only Black raptor handler and educator at John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove. She also is a farm hand/animal tender at Upper Main Line YMCA Environmental Education Complex where she takes care of a variety of animals. There’s more, but I wanted to leave room to chat! Some responses have been edited for length or clarity.
Let’s start off with telling me where you’re from.
Philly native — started out in North Philadelphia, then moved to West Oak Lane and I’ve owned a house in Germantown since 1999.
What was something fun about your neighborhood growing up?
I have memories from North Philadelphia back in the day. We had marble steps that led up to our homes, and every weekend, I would see my neighbors out scrubbing those steps, which I thought was really cool. There was an old Bill Cosby show — an animated show called “Little Bill” — and Little Bill’s neighbors would look over the backyard fence and have chats with each other. That used to happen when I was a little girl in North Philly. Our neighbors would lean over the fence and have conversations with my family and vice versa.
What was your favorite subject in school? Or your favorite teacher?
I didn’t have a favorite subject, and I didn’t have a favorite teacher. I had a really bad experience in school because I was different. I remember being bullied at preschool for being different, and that happened to me all throughout K-12. So school was not my favorite experience. Even the teachers treated me differently and bullied me.
Was it because you were smart and a reader? What made you feel different?
I was undiagnosed neurodivergent. So the way my brain works was very different from my classmates. Back when I was a little girl, neurodivergent was not a thing and as a result, teachers were not trained to handle neurodivergent children. They’d smack on your finger and hands with a ruler. Corporal punishment was normal back then. I was an A student and I did great in school, but just the way my brain functioned — the way I communicated — was not neurotypical and as a result, school was a really, really difficult experience. It caused quite a bit of friction between me and my peers, as well as friction with my teachers, because they didn’t know how to handle me. They knew I was really smart but they didn’t know what to do with me.
Yeah, I discovered myself later, much later, that I’m dysgraphic, which is similar to dyslexia. But instead of not being able to read, I have trouble physically writing. I write letters backward and run them together.
How was it for you?
[Laughing] I was the queen of oral presentations. What were some extracurricular things you were involved with, either in school or out?
I used to play sports, even though I was terrible at it! I was always that kid who was the last one picked. But I tried volleyball and enjoyed it. I tried softball and was terrible at it, but I did the best I could, and I like bowling a lot. I also tried to learn Double Dutch. I never learned how to jump, but I was a great rope turner!
Somebody’s got to do it!
Right? I noticed that there are a few double dutch groups for adults around the city, so I’m planning to try again, and maybe someone can finally teach me how to jump so I don’t have to be the turner all the time. When my kids were younger, I wanted them to have a broad experience in this world. I wanted them to become global citizens. So besides encouraging them to play sports, and do well in school, to socialize, and not be on their phones and technology all the time, I signed them up for an equestrian camp. My one daughter completely fell in love with it, and the other one said, “Thank you for the experience. You don’t have to spend any more money, I’m good.” But I actually started helping out around the barn, and the next thing you know, I’m taking lessons, and even competing. I just completely fell in love with the sport. I love watching dressage, jumping, everything.
Nice. Did you go to college or straight into their workforce?
I went to Temple University, and I was a radio, television and film (RTF) major but when I was there, everyone said, “Sheila, don’t do RTF. It’s not stable employment.” I was on WRTI radio, and I was great at it. I was excelling in my classes, but they discouraged me and said I should go into business. So I transferred to the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania, and did great there. I paid my own way and supported myself through school after my first year of college, and then had a tech job out of school doing programming, and then I got a job at Penn doing computer support and training, and then after that, I had a part-time job teaching with the University of Pennsylvania Veterans Upward Bound program, and I taught math and science. Then I started working for nonprofits, and I did that for a lot of years. I worked at Green Street Friends School for a while, doing fundraising and development work and getting our name out there — writing a lot of press releases to raise our profile — and was very successful with that.
I went on to a company called SofterWare, Inc. I was the first Black woman in the sales department of that company, and I think I was the first person of color — period — in the sales department of that company and was given the international market, in addition to the domestic market. My boss at the time didn’t think it was worth developing international clients, that they weren’t worth the time or money. But I did some research, Suzi, and my research said that the international market was a burgeoning market. So I actually wrote a research paper, presented it to my boss and he still wasn’t interested, but I was on commission, so I went for it. By the time I left the company, they changed the product to internationalize it. They purchased an office in Canada and the next thing I knew, we had a UK rep that they hired on. After that, I worked on growing the Asian market, and then by the time I was leaving the company, they were working on having an Asian office, or Asian reps that were on the boots on the ground. So that was a lot of fun, and I grew a lot from that experience. Before I left, I actually brought in the second largest client in the history of the company. It was amazing, absolutely amazing.
Sounds like you were in STEM before STEM was cool.
[Laughing] Pretty much, pretty much.
What’s your coming out story?
So that is interesting, because all of my life, I have always been attracted to people, regardless of their genitalia. However, I grew up in a very conservative family and that was not acceptable.
So all my life, what was drilled into me was that I was a cis, hetero female and it was not OK if I was anything other than that. It really wasn’t until this year, when I really figured things out for myself. So it’s been pretty recent that I’m realizing that I’m a queer person. I have always been a queer person, and will continue to be a queer person and proud of it. And if anybody has anything to say about that, let’s go.
It sounds like you’ve been involved with the LGBTQ community for a while, though.
Listen, I’ve been involved with the LGBTQ community for decades and decades and decades.
So what first got you involved?
I’ve always felt most comfortable with LGBTQ folks, and I couldn’t explain why, because, again, it was drilled in my head [that I was] a cis hetero female. It wasn’t until recently where I was like, “I’m queer,” and it also wasn’t until recently that I was diagnosed with autism and being on the spectrum. It was recently that I was diagnosed with ADHD, and so all these things are happening all at once later in my life, and it’s been eye-opening for me. I’ve been having a lot of “a-ha” moments as a result, now that I’m getting these diagnoses and realizing these things about me, and it’s been refreshing. It’s been a relief, and now I’m starting to understand why my journey and life has been what it’s been.
I know you’re a mom. Was PFLAG how you got involved in the community?
No, not at all. I was involved with LGBTQ folks and organizations from a very young age. PFLAG was not my first rodeo. I was a volunteer with Philadelphia Family Pride when Stephanie Haynes was the executive director. At the time, PFLAG was having trouble and they were going to close their Philadelphia branch. At a Family Pride event, Stephanie asked for volunteers to help them. I love Stephanie so I raised my hand and said, “If there’s a need, I’m here to help.” I was part of the initial crew who helped resuscitate the chapter. We did a lot of fundraising, including about $10,000 from Philly’s organization. In 2024, I was selected as a speaker at the Trans Wellness Conference and I asked Tyrell Brown if Hazel and Nelson and Icon Ebony-Fierce could be on the panel with me. Let me tell you, Suzi, the room was packed and they had a sign language interpreter in the rear of the room. It was so beautiful, just a magnificent experience.
Switching gears, I see you’re a foster pet parent. Did you have animals growing up?
Yes, I have always loved animals, to the point that when one of my co-workers took me to the John James Audubon Center, where she volunteered, I fell completely in love and became a volunteer myself. I started learning how to take care of the owls and the hawks, Blue Jays and so forth. I learned how to feed them and take care of their habitat and next thing you know, I’m learning how to handle them, and I became a bird educator. I walk around with Odin the Great Horned Owl and educate the public about the various Audubon bird ambassadors. I’m also the only Black raptor handler and educator there.
That led me to get a part-time job at the Upper Main Line YMCA Environmental Education Complex. They have wild birds and a whole farm over there. They have tortoises and sheep and goats and you name it, and I wound up being an animal handler over there. I just love all animals.
Do you have any now?
Oh yes. We have six cats, two dogs and my daughter has a snake. It’s a ball python snake named Angel and it’s beautiful. It’s creamy white, almost albino with a yellow stripe down its back, and it has light eyes. Oh, we also foster pets out behind my house, because I’m a recovering hoarder. The neighborhood mama cats come over to the area behind my house, and they burrow down in all my stuff. I’m in treatment for an OCD hoarding diagnosis. Again, that’s a recent thing, and I’m getting help with it, thank goodness.
I’m just telling you all kinds of stuff, right? That’s OK. I’m not ashamed of being a hoarder. A lot of people are hoarders, so I want people to have hope that there’s help out there. I actually have a hoarding coach who comes to my home once a week. I even went through classes to deal with it. If you’re on Medicaid, it may be free through the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging.
Tell me about your kids.
I have two daughters. One is a professional actor. She got into acting because she said she wanted something that would stretch her, scare her, and make her grow as a person. And my other daughter is an artist. She was one of the kids that was caught up in that whole UArts mess. So now she’s looking for other schools so that she can pursue her interests. She wants to become an animator.
Good field to be in now. So let me pull up some totally random questions. What’s a song that gets you going?
Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.” When I need a pick-me-up or I don’t feel like getting out of bed, I put that on. I’m good after that.
It’s a good one — builds the hype. A favorite food?
My favorite food growing up was at Christmas time. My mother would make collard greens, baked macaroni, chitlins, and rice with gravy, with the drippings in it. Oh my God, sweet potato pie. Lord have mercy. Oh, that brings back such memories. I’m still a foodie. And if you love food, let’s go hang out. Das Good Cafe on Chelten Avenue. We can break bread and have a good old-fashioned chat and chew. There are so many good places in Philly, really delicious, crafted with technique, and made with love.
What Olympic sport would you compete in?
Dressage.
Allergic to anything?
I’m so allergic that it triggers my asthma. All my life I have had out-of-control asthma, and every spring and fall, I get a cough. However, I now have this phenomenal guy at Temple Lung Center, Dr. Fernandez. And guess what? My asthma is finally under control for the first time in 59 years.
It seems like a good year for you: Your asthma is gone, you’re coming into your authentic self and whole lot of stuff.
Yes, yes. You said it. I’m coming into my authentic self. Absolutely.
What’s a historical moment you wish you’d witnessed?
Oh, let me tell you. When I was a little girl, I witnessed the March on Washington on television with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And my dream, Suzi, was that one day I would be able to do the same thing. And for the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington, my dream came true, and I was a speaker that day.
[Tearing up] I get really emotional talking about this, because when I was little girl, I didn’t know what I was really looking at other than, “There’s this man who looks like me on television, with a wide nose like me, with brown skin like me, with a southern accent like my people, and he’s saying, ‘I have a dream.’” [Being] up at that podium in the same spot as Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was life-changing. Never, ever thought it would happen, just like I never thought I’d see a president that looked like me.
We got it done for a minute.
Yes, and we’ll get it done again too.
What would you put in a time capsule?
I still have my lanyard from when I spoke at the 60th anniversary. So I would put my lanyard in the time capsule.
Last question, a favorite saying or motto?
It’s from John Lewis, “Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”