When Philip Saunders joined the Army, he didn’t know what was ahead. But he at least knew how he’d begin his military career: as an enlisted cook.
Doing so was in homage to his great grandfather who, when Philip was just six years old, told him how he was drafted during World War I and—because he was Black—wasn’t allowed a weapon, was denied sleeping quarters, and was forced to work as a cook.
“Other soldiers had clean uniforms. But he had to march in formation in a smut-covered uniform because Black soldiers were forced to sleep in a coal car,” Saunders said. “He was such a big influence in my life that, when I joined the military, I wanted to be the one who walks in his footsteps and honors him.”
Kappa Alpha Psi members, including FAS Deputy Division Director Philip Saunders (left), hand out supplies during an event Saunders organized between the City and the fraternity for unsheltered residents.
Saunders has strived to do that ever since. Both as an Officer in the Army, leading troops into combat, and now as the Deputy Division Director for the City’s Logistics and Emergency Management Division (LEM), which has waged its own battle against the COVID-19 virus by setting up the City’s mass test sites, securing all Personal Protective Equipment for the City’s 12,000-person workforce, and leading logistics on eventual mass vaccine sites.
In honor of Black History month, the Department of Finance and Administrative Services (FAS) is spotlighting Black employees and leaders like Saunders by sharing their contributions to the city and its residents. FAS believes in “leading with race” in everything we do—and that means examining our practices and policies and why and how we do them.
As part of this commitment to leading with race, we’re inviting featured employees to share what motivates them in race and social justice work. To share: My Why.
For Saunders, his why is inspired by his great grandfather, the opportunities he was denied and the perseverance he showed even through struggles.
“The drive for me is always equality. And it’s also about getting and sharing knowledge because people learn more—whether it’s about themselves, other people or cultures—through knowledge,” Saunders said. “In my role at the City, I want to use my position as a platform to be able to give a voice to the voiceless and to remember those that have paved the way for me. Because learning from peoples’ struggles can make us better people who leave a mark on the world.”
Saunders joined the City’s Fleet Management team in 2017 and has already made an outsized mark on the city. Thanks to his leadership and his team, the City’s 4,000-vehicle fleet was recently ranked as the 16th greenest fleet in all of North America for strides in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through electric and hybrid vehicles and alternative fuels.
And now, as the Deputy Director of the division that helps oversee all emergency management and logistics for the City, Saunders helped launch the City’s first centralized warehouse that’s responsible for procuring, storing and distributing all emergency supplies, including PPE and vaccines. His team also handled logistics to launch the City’s four mass COVID-19 test sites, which, to date, have administered more than 604,000 tests.
Over the summer, he also organized a partnership with the City and Kappa Alpha Psi, a global and historically African American fraternity that he’s a member of, to distribute essential clothing, like socks, underwear and t-shirts, to individuals who are unsheltered.
Saunders centers everything he does in equity.
“Climate change has and will continue to disproportionally affect people of color if we don’t get a handle on it. So through my work in fleets, I’m looking at “what are we doing to curb and change this? Are we doing all we can?” Saunders said. “And similarly, COVID has disproportionally affected Black and brown communities, so one way that I can help try to change that is to expand access to testing, just like we’ve done through the test sites and like we aim to do through vaccinations once supply ramps up.”
For him, Black History Month is a time to remember those who came before him and to recognize there’s still work to do—a fact made painfully clear over the past year when the murder of George Floyd sparked national protests and calls for systemic change.
“These things have been happening. Now they’re just televised,” Saunders said.
He experienced harassment and racial profiling growing up in Philadelphia, and was grateful to be part of a close-knit community that looked out for each other.
“We still have work to do. For me, it’s about taking ownership of that,” he said. “And that, in itself, continues to inspire me and generations to come.”