Jack and Jill’s Long History of Black Youth Advocacy

Many of us know “Jack and Jill” as the traditional nursery rhyme dating back to the 1700s. But when it comes to the cultivation of Black youth, an organization by a similar name takes center stage. 

Enter Jack and Jill of America, an iconic civic Black organization whose genesis dates back to the Great Depression. It was launched in 1938 by Black American mothers with a mission of exposing their children to the broad range of social and cultural activities around the Black experience. 

The aim of Jack and Jill of America is 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.” Launched in January of 1938 by Marion Stubbs Thomas, a woman of 'mulatto' ancestry along with a group of twenty-one mothers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the organization has a long legacy of providing quality of life and leadership opportunities to Black youth. 

Following Philadelphia, the next two chapters of Jack and Jill were established in New York City (1939) and Washington D.C. (1940) respectively. The group then expanded into an inter-city association spawning new chapters in cities like Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Boston, Baltimore, Buffalo, and Durham, North Carolina. 

In 1948, Up The Hill, the organization’s official publication was first issued under the watchful eye of Ida Murphy Smith, a Black newspaper reporter from Baltimore. The first fifteen chapters that existed at that time were featured in the issue through articles and pictures. 

Currently, there are over 230 Jack and Jill chapters in 35 states across the U.S, with more than 40,000 parents and children. In 1968, the organization’s philanthropic arm, the Jack and Jill of America Foundation was formed in Illinois with the aim of funding educational and charity-based projects of value to children and families across the nation. 

It should be noted that many past national presidents were members of the exclusive Links group or Delta or AKA sorority members. Many of these women held advanced professional degrees in areas like medicine and law.

The historic record of members reads like a Who's Who of Black society.  Its membership has comprised some of the best-educated and most successful Blacks in the U.S. leading some to refer to it as a "snobbish club for black elites."

In the book “Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class,” author Lawrence Otis Graham noted: 

“Because Jack and Jill is very selective and admits members by invitation only, it provides a great opportunity for professional parents to introduce their kids to children of similar families. Whether one is in Boston, Atlanta, Houston, or Beverly Hills, the children of a community’s most prominent Black families will be found in the local Jack and Jill chapter. For generations, it has served as a network for parents who want play groups for their children, as well as a network for young adults who want companionship, dating relationships, and ultimately marriage partners.”