>> I'm Dr.

Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., and this is "The Chavis Chronicles."

>> You can affect a child's entire trajectory for the rest of their life by what you do with them in the first five years, and reading to them is one of those things.

Reading to them -- When you read to children, they become lifelong readers.

>> Major funding for "The Chavis Chronicles" is provided by the following.

At Wells Fargo, we continue to look for ways to empower our customers.

We seek broad impact in our communities, and we're proud of the role we play for our customers and the U.S.

economy.

As a company, we are focused on supporting our customers and communities through housing access, small-business growth, financial health, and other community needs.

Together, we want to make a tangible difference in people's lives.

Wells Fargo -- the bank of doing.

American Petroleum Institute -- Our members are committed to accelerating safety, environmental, and sustainability progress throughout the natural gas and oil industry.

Learn more -- api.org/apienergyexcellence.

Reynolds American -- dedicated to building a better tomorrow for our employees and communities.

Reynolds stands against discrimination in all forms and is committed to building a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

At AARP, we are committed to ensuring your money, health, and happiness live as long as you do.

♪♪ >> We're very honored to have the 28th president of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated, Darlene McGhee Whittington.

Welcome to "The Chavis Chronicles."

>> Thank you for having me.

I'm excited to be here.

>> So tell us about the mission of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.

>> Jack and Jill of America is a group of mothers, black mothers for their children.

And we are laser-focused on creating the next generation of African-American leaders.

And we do that by instilling within them not only leadership development, but philanthropic giving, civic duty, community service, and so much more.

That is what we do at its core.

>> And that's across the country?

It's national?

>> It is a national organization all across the country.

We have 271 chapters and knocking on 50,000 family members.

>> You know, I've witnessed some of what Jack and Jill does.

I was really impressed with the young people that you have.

Are any fathers involved with Jack and Jill?

>> Absolutely, they are.

We have a Fathers' Auxiliary.

In my chapter in Atlanta, we call them "Big Jacks."

You know, our boys are our Jacks and our girls are our Jills, but our fathers are an integral part of what we do.

They support us in so many different ways, but they have their own auxiliary and they do a lot of fun things, but they support the mothers in all that we do, and we couldn't do it without them.

>> One of the things that I've noticed about Jack and Jill is your stress on striving for excellence in education and community service.

Talk to me about the ethos of Jack and Jill.

>> So at its core, we believe that it is important for us to give our children enriching activities that they're not getting in school, and that we enforce upon them the importance of excellence, black excellence.

Our administration.

my administration's theme is "The Power of Us -- Empowering Tomorrow's Leaders Today."

We believe that it is the collective power of mothers and fathers and children that will carry us forward and carry us into the next generation in a successful way, despite what's going on around us.

We have to go back to the times when we depended on each other, and we look for mothers and families that have that same philosophy in order to put a hedge of protection around our children when we're doing all these efforts.

And that's important because oftentimes -- and it's sad to say -- but when our children can be in schools and black excellence is not celebrated.

So we celebrate them for being excellent and we'll always do that.

>> You know, that's a good segue, because the context in America today is that some people question the value of African-American history, the value of African-American culture.

There's even been some attempt to change the narrative of people of color, but particularly of African-American descent.

How have you seen as the president of Jack and Jill of America -- Is the pendulum swinging in the right direction, or do you think that we have to kind of be reminded not to allow negative forces to overtake our community?

>> We certainly do.

And I'm the national president, and I have an overarching vision for the organization.

I had a conversation with my national program director, Tasha B. Penny, and her primary focus is programming for the children.

And when we were elected together, we decided that it was more important now than ever to create a group of modules of African-American history for our children.

So we've always taught black culture and taught our children to be proud of themselves and proud of culture.

But now we have curated a -- modules for our children from 2 all the way up to 18 to have them learn more about black history in particular on a more formal basis.

>> You have annual events.

>> Yes.

>> And one of the most impactful annual events that you have is, you -- you bring hundreds of young people up to Capitol Hill... >> Yes, we do.

>> ...to meet with their members of Congress, to get a feel of how things are done.

Talk to us about how impactful that is and the experience itself for young people to be in the nation's capital, to go up to Capitol Hill to see their member of Congress?

>> We bring over 800 teenagers, sometimes more than that.

>> 800?

>> Yes.

>> Oh, cool.

You must have a lot of chaperones.

>> A lot of chaperones.

Yes.

Our ratio is 1 to 5, at least.

We actually show them how to advocate for themselves.

We train them on how to advocate.

We give them -- We have them practice a two-minute pitch, a three-minute pitch, because they don't know how much time they're going to get in front of those legislators.

We have our Pink and Blue Agenda, so we have initiatives in Jack and Jill that are important to our teens, as well as important to us.

And they study that Pink and Blue Agenda.

And when they're ready to get in front of those legislators, they are prepared.

>> So all of them have on their pink and blue T-shirts?

>> No, well, suits.

Business suits, because this is a business meeting.

And we teach our children that when you meet with legislators and you want to be taken seriously, you need to look that way.

And so to see 800 teenagers on Capitol Hill in business suits is very impressive.

But it lets their legislators know that they didn't come to play.

They came to talk business and that they're very serious about their initiatives.

Most of the things that they're speaking about are gun reform.

It's very important to our kids.

They want to feel safe in their schools.

Another thing that's important to them is policing.

A lot of our kids are driving, and they want to feel safe when they're stopped by the police.

And the CROWN Act is another thing that's important to a lot of our children.

>> How you wear your hair.

>> Yes.

They don't want to be judged by how they wear their hair.

They are black and brilliant and they don't want anyone to think anything otherwise if they choose to wear their hair, um, in a way that someone may not agree with.

Another one is mental health.

They are very, um, dialed into advocating for their mental health.

Those are just a few things that they're advocating for on a regular basis.

But they're amazing kids.

>> What's been some of the feedback that you've received from some members of Congress after they exchanged with these dynamic young leaders?

>> They are always so impressed.

And we want them to be impressed, but we also don't want them to be impressed.

They should expect excellence.

But they are always very impressed with how prepared our children are.

But before they go on the Hill, we spend a couple of days with them going through that legislative agenda, reminding them what's important to them and asking them to practice.

Practice -- Practice what you're going to say.

Start with a story, make it relatable.

And so that's a lot of the feedback that we've gotten, and really just being so impressed with the numbers, because we bring so many all at once, and they all have their congressional appointments set up on the same day.

And we just -- We walk into that Capitol with confidence.

>> How important is it for each generation of the young people in Jack and Jill to be cognizant and reminded of how the organization evolved?

>> We remind them of that all the time.

So we have -- We have what's called Carole Robertson Day.

Carole Robertson, you may or may not know -- She was one of the four little girls, and she was in Jack and Jill.

>> 16th Street... >> 16th Street Baptist Church.

>> In Birmingham, Alabama.

>> She was a Jack and Jill little girl, and her mother was obviously a Jack and Jill mom.

And we celebrate Carole Robertson Day.

And because of that, that spins off the civil rights movement.

And so they are very well versed in -- from where they come from and to who they belong.

And I think that that helps them not only -- That helps them in their everyday lives, because you have to know where you come from and be proud of it.

>> Well, the impact of young people -- You know, the greatest, uh, writing of Dr.

King in many people's view certainly was the "I Have a Dream" speech, but it was his "Letter from the Birmingham Jail."

And he was really writing to clergy people that were criticizing him for using young people in the movement.

Uh, young people have always been at the front lines of, uh, the civil rights movement.

What is your, uh, prediction about the next generation of leaders, uh, from you being able to ascertain not only the quality, the quantity, but the ambition of young people today?

Give us a forecast.

Where will these young Jack and Jillers be a decade from now?

>> A decade from now, I see them leading at the forefront.

They aren't scared.

Some of us may be scared, but they prove time and time again that they are not.

And when you instill more confidence in them and let them know that they have a voice and that their voice matters, they're not afraid to go out and stand at the forefront and speak out.

I saw that firsthand when we were on the Hill.

And, um -- And I see that every day when I go to different Jack and Jill chapters throughout the country.

They're so ready and poised to lead.

And sometimes we just have to get out of their way.

And so I predict that this generation is going to be the one that steps up and makes change.

>> That's good news.

You also not only organize, but you mobilize.

>> Yes.

>> And I understand that in your plans, uh, there's mobilizing, uh, thousands of young people, uh, to come back to Washington.

>> Yes, we will be coming back to Washington.

We have a very special event planned in January.

Our National Founders' Day is January 24th.

We were founded in 1938, in Philadelphia.

So we always have celebrated our Founders' Day, but it will be our National Founders' Day.

But we will bring thousands of children to Washington to march on Washington to... >> A children's march?

>> A children's march.

And we want them to march for children's issues... what's important to them.

We are going to be teaching them how to advocate, because our On the Hill Teen Legislative Summit is just for teens.

This will be for all children, from the littles, all the way up to the college students.

We're inviting our college students and our graduates to come back, as well, to march with us.

>> That's gonna be great.

Children's march on Washington?

>> Yes.

>> Oh, wow.

You know, if there was any group that can pull something like that off, it's Jack and Jill of America.

>> Thank you.

We're looking forward to it.

>> Tell me, how did you come up with this kind of a plan?

Uh, and 'cause, you know, there are some people who believe that, uh -- tired of marching.

It doesn't make a difference.

Why do we keep protesting?

You know, there's some people out there who erroneously think, uh, that if you stand still, change will happen.

>> And we don't think that.

And we don't tell our children that.

We tell them that you must act.

And if Martin didn't work, it wouldn't have worked before.

>> That's right.

>> And so we have to let them know that you -- The definition of insanity is doing the same thing, expecting different results.

But sometimes you can do the same thing and expect the same results.

>> Exactly.

>> And so you don't want to re-create the wheel either.

What our forefathers taught us is that those types of things do work, and nonviolent social change is real, and that when you stick to it and you stick to your message and you continue to advocate, you have a voice and it will matter.

Sometimes it takes longer than you'd like, but don't give up.

That's what we teach our children.

>> In many states, in New York and others, the failure of the third-grade reading test, that statistic, is used to determine how many juvenile prisons are gonna be built.

>> Mm.

>> How does Jack and Jill deal with this whole question of literacy, reading, the importance of having young people in our community read on grade level?

>> We start at a very early age.

Another part of our Pink and Blue Legislative Agenda is the First Five Years Initiative.

It's been proven time and time again that you can affect a child's entire trajectory for the rest of their life by what you do with them in the first five years.

And reading to them is one of those things.

Reading to them when you read to children, they become lifelong readers.

And so that's one thing that we are doing, is making sure that we are affecting children in the first five years... not just our own children -- children in the community.

So we've got community-service initiatives with the YMCAs, with other community organizations to help children that are most in need, especially within those first five years.

But we also have -- Our foundation has grants that they give for book corners.

We give $5,000, $10,000 grants to organizations to create many libraries and book corners, because we want -- We don't want the price of books to be a limiting factor for children in their reading.

>> Again, some states are banning books.

>> Yes.

>> Some states are trying to, uh, change the narrative, if you will.

But it's interesting.

You actually put out grants to encourage more reading among young people.

>> Yes.

In another conversation with my national program director, I am pitching an idea to her called "I Read Banned Books" for our teenagers.

And so we have book clubs within Jack and Jill.

Our mothers have book clubs.

Our teens have book clubs.

And I Read Banned Books, I really want to be an initiative that takes off where we are actually reading books that have been banned and talking to the children about why they were banned and why they should not have been banned, and why it's important for them to read them.

>> Well, just like, if you do that, you're not only gonna have young people reading those books, but I think some older brothers and sisters probably need to read those books, also.

>> Absolutely.

>> How would you construct or build a process that ensures young people not only know what leadership from within their own life and circumstance?

>> When you talk about leadership development, um, Jack and Jill, we believe that it starts at the lowest level.

Leadership development, when you're small, can be learning how to look someone in the eye, shake their hand and say hello, introduce yourself to them, let them know who your family is, who your mother is, what grade you're in.

Just, when you instill confidence at the lowest level, that is where leadership development begins.

Now, of course, there are so many other ways to develop leadership.

We have -- Our teens have their own chapters, our teens have their own officers.

They run their own meetings.

They know "Robert's Rules of Order."

And so when they get to college, they are heads and tails above their peers.

Um, I noticed Jack and Jill -- I didn't grow up in Jack and Jill.

I'm from Monroe, Louisiana, and they just chartered a chapter.

Serendipitously, I chartered a chapter in Monroe, Louisiana, when I became national president.

But I didn't grow up in Jack and Jill.

I was first really introduced to Jack and Jill when I was the graduate adviser to the AKAs at Spelman, so... >> Okay.

>> And as a grad adviser, I would notice the young ladies that were running for office, that were, um -- that were leading, at the forefront, and a lot of them were in Jack and Jill.

And so I would ask them questions -- "So what did you learn?"

And they would let me know, " Oh, I know how to set my agenda, Miss Darlene.

I learned that in Jack and Jill."

Or, "I know 'Robert's Rules of Order," or they would make comments within the chapter meeting -- "point of order."

And I would wonder, like, "How did they know that?

And they're so young."

And so that's when I knew there was some secret sauce to Jack and Jill.

>> So you mentioned about how many chaperones you have to bring.

Do you get mothers who are excited about watching not only their own children, but other children?

>> They are, because our children are -- They're amazing kids.

They keep us young.

Um, the conferences that we curate for them, we make sure they're having a lot of fun.

They're learning a lot, but they also have a great time.

And our chaperones come out of those conferences, um, having just as much fun as those kids.

>> Right.

Partying with a purpose.

>> Yes, always.

>> I understand.

I know you're very active -- I know your young people are very active because I recently had an opportunity to speak to some Jack and Jill young people.

>> Yes, and we were so grateful to have you.

>> Within 24 hours, I got a lot on social media, as a result.

So I said, "These young people are really on it."

>> Yeah, they are following you now.

So... And we want them to.

And we love introducing them to people like you because they need to know who you are.

Some of them already knew who you were, but when you came to speak to them, they started to do their research.

That's the type of children that we have in Jack and Jill.

And they were so grateful.

When they saw that you marched with King and things like that, they were, like, so excited to see you.

And that means a lot to us as mothers, because we want them to know where they came from and know where their strength comes from.

>> Well, personally, I was excited to see them.

When I saw more than 800 young people, it made me know that what we did in the 1960s was not in vain.

>> Absolutely.

>> You know?

Each generation inherits what the prior generation provides.

And I agree with you that -- what portends for the future.

Uh, and we don't talk about that enough in the -- in our communities.

'Cause always we talk about the tragedies, the -- the difficulties, the failures.

And the thing I like about Jack and Jill is, you talk about success stories.

>> Absolutely.

>> You talk about that you can have excellence, even in spite of sometimes forces that try to hold you back.

>> Absolutely.

We try to instill that confidence in them and let them know that there is nothing wrong with being brilliant.

There's nothing wrong with being smart.

In fact, it's celebrated.

It's celebrated in our spaces, and that allows our children to thrive.

And it's -- And we are proud of that.

>> What overall effect do you think they will have on whether or not young people who are 18 and over will actually go vote?

Because, you know, there are predictions that -- particularly in social media, which I don't necessarily agree with, that young people are fed up with voting, don't have any civic responsibility.

Uh, but it seems to me that the Jack and Jill young people put those falsehoods to rest.

>> They sure do.

And we always remind them that to whom much is given, much is required.

And we put these experiences -- We put them in these experiences that other children don't have.

We give them advocacy training, send them on the Hill, show them how to talk to their legislators, and they are to go back into their communities and share that with their friends and other children in the community that don't have those benefits.

And so that is how we predict that they will spread their feelings of civic duty to others.

And when you see someone your own age or younger than you even -- We've got 15-year-olds out there getting people to vote.

When you see someone your own age encouraging you, it hits different.

>> How do young people in Jack and Jill impact young people who are not in Jack and Jill?

>> They do at school.

They do at church.

And they do when we deploy them into those spaces.

We are very deliberate about making sure our children are not in a monolith.

>> Okay.

>> My daughter has been exposed to children that are in her school, in her little circle, but, also, we are putting her in spaces with children that she probably wouldn't normally encounter.

And when we do that, we want you to spread what you have learned to them.

And we do -- And that is what we do in Jack and Jill.

We affect all children, not just our own.

>> Darlene McGhee Whittington, thank you for joining >> Thank you for having me.

It's been a wonderful time.

>> For more information about "The Chavis Chronicles" and our guests, visit our website at TheChavisChronicles.com.

Also, follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

Major funding for "The Chavis Chronicles" is provided by the following.

At Wells Fargo, we continue to look for ways to empower our customers.

We seek broad impact in our communities, and we're proud of the role we play for our customers and the U.S.

economy.

As a company, we are focused on supporting our customers and communities through housing access, small-business growth, financial health, and other community needs.

Together, we want to make a tangible difference in people's lives.

Wells Fargo -- the bank of doing.

American Petroleum Institute -- Our members are committed to accelerating safety, environmental, and sustainability progress throughout the natural gas and oil industry.

Learn more -- api.org/apienergyexcellence.

Reynolds American -- dedicated to building a better tomorrow for our employees and communities.

Reynolds stands against discrimination in all forms and is committed to building a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

At AARP, we are committed health, and happiness live as long as you do.

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