Blaine Coleman is a Black funeral director who owns Coleman’s Funeral Services, located at 529 Rising Sun Ave. Since 2011, Coleman has been serving families with funeral arrangements and offers a 24-hour transportation service. Currently, he conducts about 15 funerals per year but aims to increase that number to 24.
“More so than our white counterparts, we are dealing with families who are not prepared,” Coleman explained. “For the reality and the inevitability of death and not having life insurance, not having savings.”
According to Coleman, one significant challenge facing the funeral industry is the increasing popularity of cremation. More families are choosing to cremate their loved ones instead of paying for traditional funeral services. This trend has impacted the revenue of Black-owned funeral homes, as more Black families opt for cremation.
“We are not able to charge the same kind of money that our counterparts in the white communities are able to charge,” Coleman added. “Our community is just not able to live up and meet us at that level.”
Additionally, Coleman faces the challenge of operating a small funeral home and mainly relies on word-of-mouth for client referrals. Outside of this, he does not receive as many clients as he would like. Christian Stronghold Church in West Philadelphia often recommends Coleman’s services to its members who are not already connected with a funeral home.
Many of Coleman’s clients come from Philadelphia’s Black communities, and he strives to honor the memory of each family member he assists in memorializing.
“Mr. Coleman was the funeral director for my mother’s funeral,” shared Sharon Davis, a former Philadelphia resident. “He drove from Hazleton that night when she died in February 2024 to pick up the body. He did things that I didn’t even expect him to do — very professional. There’s nothing negative I can say about him.”
Davis recalled how Coleman patiently walked her and her family through every step of the funeral planning process and highly recommends his services. She was referred to him by a family member.
“Funeral service is a service unique like none other I can think of,” Coleman said. “It’s the most difficult time in an individual or a family’s life, and you have to be extremely patient and compassionate.”
To further support his community, Coleman conducts seminars at local churches about the importance of preparing for death, paying for funeral arrangements through life insurance, and utilizing other financial tools to alleviate the burden on surviving family members. He hopes to expand these educational efforts to help more Black Philadelphians plan ahead.
“The community needs to focus on being prepared,” Coleman emphasized. “Not putting this off, not wanting to address it — the reality and the fact that death is going to come. You need to sit down and have that conversation.”
He believes that despite death being a tough subject to discuss, everyone should have arrangements in place for their burial or funeral services. When plans are not made, funeral directors often have to hold bodies longer than preferred, and families must scramble to find the money or settle for cremation — all because there was no prior preparation.
“Like you make plans to go on vacation, make plans for your final expenses,” Coleman advised.
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https://www.phillytrib.com/news/business/colemans-funeral-services-tries-to-overcome-industry-challenges-in-helping-familes-unprepared/article_ee2ff577-5746-443a-b4fc-74b37ccbfdad.html