When I was growing up in Connecticut, it was not very diverse, including
the schools I attended, which were outstanding.
In addition to an excellent education, my mother wanted to ensure that
my brother and I had a sense of our African-American identity – especially socially,
culturally and philanthropically. So, she
accepted an invitation to join Jack and Jill of America. Today, my sister-in-law is a member, so that
my nieces can experience the same.
This is a story of its history.
During the Great Depression, in the 1930s, segregation was pervasive in
the United States. The system allowed for “separate, but equal” accommodations
for African-Americans. Under this policy, African-Americans were barred from
social and cultural activities that integrated them with White people – even in
the North.
While visiting a friend in Brooklyn, New York, Mrs. Louise Truitt
Jackson-Dench, a mother living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, heard a story
that inspired her to organize a group, where children could socialize without suffering
the cruelties of segregation. Mrs. Jackson-Dench’s friend told her of an annual
Christmas party where attendees, who had moved to other boroughs and cities,
would always get together, when they returned to Brooklyn for the holidays. The
story warmed her heart, and she thought that Philadelphia families would enjoy
something similar; but as a permanent club, rather than simply as an annual
event. The idea was to provide recreational activities when and where these
families were denied access, due to racial segregation.
Mrs. Jackson-Dench’s
club became a reality when she and her friend, Mrs. Marion Stubbs-Thomas, along
with eighteen local, Philadelphia mothers organized the first chapter of Jack
and Jill, on January 24, 1938, with the purpose of providing social, cultural and educational
opportunities for African-American families. Mrs. Stubbs-Thomas is
considered the Founding Mother of Jack and Jill. She said of establishing the
organization,
“To we, as mothers, Jack and
Jill is a means of furthering an inherent and natural desire…to bestow upon our
children all the opportunities possible for a normal and graceful approach to a
beautiful adulthood.”
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| Mrs. Louise Jackson-Dench and Mrs. Marion Stubbs-Thomas |
After
that first meeting on a rainy, January 1938 Friday night, in Philadelphia, the
idea of those 20 mothers spread, first to New York, then to Washington DC. Jack
and Jill had become an inter-city association. Between 1944 and 1946, the group
swiftly expanded to ten chapters. In June 1946, representatives of eight of the
ten groups met in Philadelphia to consider organizing into a national
organization. The purpose and aims were set out, committees established and new
officers were elected and installed. By 1968,
there were 120 chapters in 33 cities, the major cities being Atlanta, Chicago,
New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC.
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| 1951 Jack and Jill South Carolina Chapter |
The objectives of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.
are to: “create a medium of contact for
children, which will stimulate growth and development and provide children
constructive educational, cultural, civic, health, recreational and social
programs.”
Mothers of children, between the ages of 2 and 19,
divided into age groups, are invited into Jack and Jill, hold the membership
and are required to plan and host monthly activities for the young people, who
are the focus of the program. The kids take part in cultural activities,
fundraisers, leadership training, legislative events and social events, such as:
ski trips, camping, pizza parties, cotillions, as well as college planning,
theater trips and conferences, to name a few. Mothers attend required, monthly
meetings and act on committees, focused on the work of the organization, as
well as larger efforts aimed to better the conditions of all children, not just
their own. High School graduating teenagers are celebrated and honored at the
annual Regional Teen Conferences.
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| Jack and Jill social event |
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| Jack and Jill Whitewater Rafting Trip |
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| Jack and Jill Cotillion |
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| Jack and Jill trip to Capitol Hill |
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| Houston, Texas Chapter Teen Conference |
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| Jack and Jill Mothers |
Fathers are invited to participate at various
events, throughout each year.
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| Jack and Jill Fathers' Event |
At the time Jack and Jill was founded, a majority of the activities took
place in the homes of the founding members. By doing this, the amount of
discrimination the children and their mothers encountered greatly decreased.
After the national chapter was formed, the organization initiated an adaptive
strategy. They began contributing to public service projects. Making these
financial and service contributions, reinforced their dedication to services,
which met the needs of children.
As the Civil Rights Movement’s momentum increased, so did Jack and Jill’s
efforts in helping African-Americans adjust to new, political and social
changes. Through the work of local chapters, in the form of memorial gifts, fundraisers, bequests and individual gifts, funds were disbursed to organizations such as
the NAACP Legal Fund, Mental Health, and other groups. As a continuation of the
adaptive program, Jack and Jill sponsored programs for urban youth. In
collaboration with HBCU, Howard University, and local Jack and Jill chapters,
the Jack Be Quick program served as an educational project designed for young,
African-American and Latino males. The program covered job skills,
interpersonal communication, and coping mechanisms. By doing this, young men
gained a sense of the opportunities that awaited them beyond their often rather-confining,
urban dwellings.
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| Fayetteville, Georgia Chapter Fundraiser |
Since Jack and Jill of America, Inc. was founded,
in 1938, it has evolved into a national organization as a result of strong
programming, such as: Healthy Living,
Youth Leadership Development, Youth Financial Literacy, Youth Community
Service Recognition (certification for 25 hours of community service), National
Day of Service, National Legislative Advocacy, Rebuild America in partnership
with Habitat for Humanity.
Jack and
Jill’s first National Service Project, The Research for Rheumatic Fever, in
1947, Jack and Jill has contributed to an array of non-profit organizations and
causes including The Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, which was designated
the official National Project from 1952-1957; the National Association of
Mental Health; the NAACP Freedom Fund; the
Urban League; the United Negro College Fund, etc. At the 1956 National
Convention, in San Francisco, one of the recommendations of the National
Service Project Committee that was adopted, established a committee to study
plans for also establishing a National Project that would be exclusive to Jack
and Jill, and would not have an affiliation with any other group, organization,
or corporation. At the 17th
National Convention, in 1966, the attendees resolved to establish a charitable
foundation, within two years.
Jack and Jill of America Foundation became a reality and was
incorporated in 1968, in Chicago. The Foundation, in
collaboration with the community service agenda of Jack and Jill of America,
Inc., is an internationally recognized center that furnishes personal,
professional and financial support to children in the areas of leadership
skills, training and development.
Since its
inception in 1968, The Foundation has distributed millions of dollars to
communities all across America. In so doing, The Foundation is fulfilling its
shared vision with Jack and Jill of America, Inc., to invest in the future of
children. Programs funded by The Foundation include: improving academic test
scores, raising literacy and mathematical competencies, encouraging cultural
consciousness, and instilling moral and social responsibility in America’s
youth.
The Foundation’s Vision Statement is “to promote the excellent
preparation of succeeding generations of children as leaders, in all walks of
life, so that they may attain their fullest potential as individuals, enjoy
rewarding and fulfilling lives, and contribute to world peace, progress, and
prosperity.”
Jack and Jill also publishes regional newsletters, called Jack
& Jill; and an annual national journal, called Up the Hill. In its first issue, Founder, Mrs.
Stubbs-Thomas reflected on Jack and Jill’s first ten years, saying:
“When the
first, little group of us organized in January 1938, we were seeking to
stimulate a social and cultural relationship between our children…Little [could
we imagine] at the time, that this idea, which was so inspiring, would grow to
such proportions. As [we grew], the aims and ideals of Jack and Jill were
strengthened, always with our children as the focal point. It is intensely
satisfying to predict a nationwide group of mothers and children, bound
together by similar interests and ideals. As we grow in numbers and
achievements, may we always keep before us the lofty principles upon which Jack
and Jill of America was founded.”
Today, Jack and Jill of America, Inc. is the oldest
and largest African-American family organization, in the United States. Jack
and Jill is committed to ensuring that all children have the same opportunities
in life.
At present, the organization is divided into seven
regions, which operate to support the 227 chapters (and growing!) and 30,000+
parents and children, who participate, around the country. The National Headquarters is located in the
Strivers Section Historic District, just north of the Dupont Circle Historic
District. Since the 1870s, the area has been associated with African-American
leaders in business, education, government, and the arts, including runaway
slave, abolitionist, writer, and diplomat, Frederick Douglass.
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| Jack and Jill HQ |
Jack and Jill celebrated its 75th
anniversary in Philadelphia, last year during the 40th National Convention. The national
theme for 2012-2014 is “Power and Potential: Parents Empowering Youth.” Click here
to see a 3-minute video on Jack and Jill’s 2010-2012 theme.
I, for one, feel that Jack and Jill was one factor, in my life, that empowered me to
always strive to reach my potential; and I am truly grateful for that.
Sources: Wikipedia, Jack &
Jill of America, Learning to Give, Google Images, YouTube
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