In different ways, Muhammed Emanet and Joyel Crawford’s stories are a testament to the power of using your voice.
“The only way you truly connect with somebody is if you know the real details, the real story,” says Muhammed Emanet, the 26-year-old head of the Collingswood restaurant Jersey Kebab.
The restaurant, which was located in Haddon Township until late last year, has become something of a phenomenon. A beloved hole-in-the-wall, customers appreciated not only the food that Jersey Kebab served but the genuine exchanges they had with the Emanet family — conversations that brightened their days and lifted their spirits.
Jersey Kebab gained national attention last year after Muhammed’s parents, Celal and Emine, who emigrated to the country legally, were detained by ICE. Before the news became public, the family had chosen not to share the details of their immigration troubles with customers because they didn’t want to burden them. But once the contours of their situation were revealed — and the community rallied around them — a new chapter began.
“When the gist of our story came out, we were like, ‘Okay — now we can just spill everything,’” Muhammed said.
Through openhearted interviews, engaging and altruistic social media videos, and community events such as the Feed the Need donation drive they hosted with the Haddon Township Equity Initiative in January, the Emanets have invited people into both the business and personal sides of their lives.
Joyel Crawford, the acclaimed speaker and leadership coach, shares a similar belief in the power of connection — and in the importance of using one’s voice.
“Sharing your value isn’t bragging or rude,” she says. When interviewing for an internal or external job, for instance, “it’s absolutely necessary to share who you are, what you specifically did, and what results you accomplished.”
For Crawford, successful advocacy often comes from collaboration. Her approach to negotiating a job offer, she says, is rooted in partnership: employees should remain true to their values and priorities, while employers want to retain and support talented people. Finding a path where both sides succeed is the ultimate goal.
At Collingswood High School, sophomore Declan Mannel is being true to his own creative voice and discovering the power of expression through an innovative digital music production program. He’s blending technical skill with imagination to build beats and chasing a dream of working in the music industry.
“I make music that I want to hear,” he says. “You can find inspiration in yourself, and that will help you find your own sound.”
And for those thinking about the future of our planet, Tina Solak’s Refill Market offers a different kind of inspiration. By encouraging customers to reduce waste and rethink everyday consumption, her shop shows how small choices can make a meaningful environmental impact.
These stories show that when people share from a genuine place, they can create outcomes that once seemed impossible and form connections that lead to places that are stranger — and sometimes better — than they ever could have imagined.
