Local Jack and Jill chapter celebrates 50 years of hip-hop with dance lesson
In honor of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, the Oakland County Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. came together with the talent of Motor City Dance Factory to host a crash course in cool moves.
Jack and Jill of America, Inc. was founded in 1938 by 21 African American mothers in Philadelphia with dreams to raise the next Black leaders of America through community support and opportunities. Now, more than 85 years later, there are more than 50,000 members in 262 local chapters across the nation.
The Oakland County Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. celebrates its 45th anniversary this year with nearly 80 mother members and over 120 kids between the ages of 2 and 19. JJOC hosts monthly enrichment events 10 times a year to promote social, cultural, educational, recreational and community service opportunities to Oakland County youth, to equip them with leadership skills, just as their founders did.
“At this age, they’re bonding together, they’re developing friendships,” said mother member Kim Hicks. “By the time they get to their teenage years, they’ve already forged those relationships, and it’s just a matter of learning how to work together and plan together to be able to lead together.”
Each event idea and its programming is determined by each chapter’s mother members — allowing them to take kids’ requests into account. When deciding this year’s month-by-month programming, many kids asked for a dance class; with the significance of this year to the history of hip-hop, the mothers knew it was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up.
“We call them ‘programmatic thrusts’ that we try to hit with each event: cultural, educational, social, recreational, legislative, health,” said JJOC President Johanne Pearson. “This one is more cultural because we want the kids to understand hip-hop and the history of hip-hop culture … and recreational because they’re in there actually dancing and moving around.”
“It’s hip-hop but it’s history as well. When Black history is under attack, it’s important to show this narrative and its impact on the world,” said JJOC Group 3 Chair Crystal Worthem.
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Connected by two childhood friends, JJOC Chaplain Lezah Phillips and Motor City Dance Factory founder and owner Camille Johnson, the chapter chose to host this month’s event at MCDF’s 20,000-square-foot facility, particularly after MCDF’s sponsorship in last year’s JJOC fundraiser that raised $30,000 in scholarships for 10 local kids.
In addition to hip hop, MCDF teaches ballet, tap, jazz, modern dance and gymnastics as well as specialized boys’ classes to over 800 students aged 2½ through adulthood.
The event kicked off with a hip-hop history lesson before MCDF hip-hop instructor Jade Hatchet took the floor to show 13 JJOC kids how to pop and lock to the 1992 hit “Jump” by Kris Kross.
Both mothers and children were dressed up reminiscent of 1980s couture in nylon tracksuits, neon paint on denim, heady hoop earrings and chunky chains. One mother member even brought in a cassette tape: a relic of the time, record of O.G. hip-hop and “dinosaur fossil” to the kids.
“It’s a nice way to learn about the history of different things, and dancing and stuff,” said 10-year-old Zora Exum. “I already do hip-hop dance but I guess I’ll do more of it.”
“I think its awesome that Jack and Jill, especially our chapter, comes together to make sure that we are finding ways to enrich our children’s lives, experiences and perspectives and to give them a great sense of community,” said Zora’s mother, Jelani Jefferson Exum. “An activity like this, it’s fun but it’s also educational, so we hope we’re sparking something in them that they want to continue to learn about.”
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Oakland County Jack and Jill chapter celebrates hip-hop with dance
