Jack and Jill of America



Jack and Jill of America is a leadership organization formed during the Great Depression. African American mothers founded it in 1938 with the intention of bringing kids together in a social and cultural setting. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. The organization aims to improve the quality of life of children, particularly African-American children.

There are more than 230 Jack and Jill chapters in 35 states across the United States, with more than 10,000 mother members and 40,000 parents and children.

History
In January 1938, Marion Stubbs Thomas, a woman of "mulatto" ancestry, organized a group of twenty-one mothers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to establish a social and cultural union for their children. The group included a number of Black Catholics, one of the largest religious groups in Philadelphia.

The second chapter of Jack and Jill was established in New York City in 1939, and a third in Washington, D.C. in 1940. The local group became an inter-city association, expanding to Pittsburgh; Baltimore; Boston; Buffalo; Columbus, Ohio; Durham, North Carolina; and Memphis, Tennessee between 1944 and June 1, 1946, when the national organization was founded.

In 1968, the organization created its philanthropic arm, the Jack and Jill of America Foundation, incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois. The foundation has been responsible for the origin and funding of a large number of educational and charitable projects benefiting children and families in communities across the United States. Jack and Jill of America has made contributions to other organizations and projects, including: Africare, the United Negro College Fund, Rainbow/PUSH, King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (also called March of Dimes), the Children's Defense Fund, and to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.