Any Jack & Jill members here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:J&J was founded by Blacks that wanted to be exclusionary and were themselves excluded from DAR and the such.

Guessing nobody sponsored you.

This is the elitist attitude that is pervasive in the organization. FWIW, I am Black, two DC's in private (full freight), high HHI, etc... but this is the attitude we get from white people who look down on us and assume they know who we are. I don't need this from a group of Black people who's only "leg up" on me is that they are from a generation of well educated, well off, elite upper crust of Black society. Like a PP, I am first generation law school, self made and will not be getting anything from my broke parents' "estate". I've also never been approached about sponsorship and it is not something that I would seek out. I think J&J is a good organization for people who have a history and want to continue that legacy for their children; wanting your children to socialize with people of the same ilk is something other races/ethnicities have been doing for years. My own personal issue with J&J is that historically I would not have been someone invited to join and now that my family's pedigree may be aligned with other members, I don't feel the need to belong to a specific organization so my children can meet/mate with the Oak Bluffs crowd.

Most of the people I know from J&J aren't interested in genuinely befriending my family anyway.

I love you so very much!!! I could have written this entire paragraph.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, Thanks for the responses.

We live on the Rockville/Potomac border. We've struggled to find diverse churches that are anywhere close to us. I have learned that Sunday is the most segregated day of the week.

We are members of the National Cathedral and while we love it there it currently doesn't have Sunday school or a youth group (just the nursery which DD has aged out of).


I tried Mocha Moms when DD was a toddler but the women in that MoCo chapter seemed only interested in putting on a show. It seemed VERY superficial. DH and I have money but nothing to prove. The last I heard was that chapter is now defunct.

I guess there isn't a right answer for us. I think that J&J may be too pretentious for me to deal with. What I really want is a diverse group of kids with whom DD shares many of the same experiences. J&J and Mocha Moms are certainly (and intentionally) not diverse but what is?

I guess my search continues. . .

Grace Episcopal Church in Silver Spring is wonderfully diverse in every way, and has a ton of kids. My kids are in the choir, and one is an acolyte. Grace also has a youth group, Sunday school, and a crib room for babies and toddlers. It's closer than the Cathedral for sure. Summer is slower for sure, but your family would be most welcome if you came to visit and check it out. http://graceepiscopalchurch.org/ I can't say enough good things about Grace.

[Anonymous]

PP here - sorry for the rotten writing - rushing out the door!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, Thanks for the responses.

We live on the Rockville/Potomac border. We've struggled to find diverse churches that are anywhere close to us. I have learned that Sunday is the most segregated day of the week.

We are members of the National Cathedral and while we love it there it currently doesn't have Sunday school or a youth group (just the nursery which DD has aged out of).


I tried Mocha Moms when DD was a toddler but the women in that MoCo chapter seemed only interested in putting on a show. It seemed VERY superficial. DH and I have money but nothing to prove. The last I heard was that chapter is now defunct.

I guess there isn't a right answer for us. I think that J&J may be too pretentious for me to deal with. What I really want is a diverse group of kids with whom DD shares many of the same experiences. J&J and Mocha Moms are certainly (and intentionally) not diverse but what is?

I guess my search continues. . .

yes -- try this church -- we have family members there and the congregation seems very diverse. We are AA and so are the family members that attend.

Grace Episcopal Church in Silver Spring is wonderfully diverse in every way, and has a ton of kids. My kids are in the choir, and one is an acolyte. Grace also has a youth group, Sunday school, and a crib room for babies and toddlers. It's closer than the Cathedral for sure. Summer is slower for sure, but your family would be most welcome if you came to visit and check it out. http://graceepiscopalchurch.org/ I can't say enough good things about Grace.

[ThriveGrow]

As someone who is seeking to work- where do these families go for someone to watch their child(ren) when family is not nearby?

[Anonymous]

ThriveGrow wrote:
As someone who is seeking to work- where do these families go for someone to watch their child(ren) when family is not nearby?

They hire nannies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

ThriveGrow wrote:
As someone who is seeking to work- where do these families go for someone to watch their child(ren) when family is not nearby?

They hire nannies.

I think she meant where do they look for their nannies since she wants to work for them. May be wrong.

Frankly I find it odd that one would be looking for work for a family that belongs to a certain type of organization. If I am willing to hire anyone regardless of their color/ affiliations (except if they were racist/ negative affiliations) then I find it weird that someone I might employ would care if I belong to Jack and Jill or Junior league unless they were looking to get something out of it.

[Anonymous]

rac·ism noun \?r?-?si-z?m also -?shi-\ : poor treatment of or violence against people because of their race

: the belief that some races of people are better than others

[Anonymous]

16:28 No, The Links, Inc. is an organization similar to Junior League.

[ThriveGrow]

Hello

This is ThriveGrow,

There is a nanny forum on dcurban moms, but I was trying to expand my customer base by posting in this thread. I do not under any circumstances discriminate against anyone.

I am not looking to work exclusively for members of Jack and Jill. I am, however, looking to work for busy 2 career parents who need someone to watch their child(ren) who they can trust and has great experience and recommendations.

The nanny forum is overpopulated with nannies looking for work from all over the metropolitan area. I was hoping to attract attention from a more narrow group without getting bounced by the moderators.

[Anonymous]

What high schools do Jack & Jill members kids attend?

[Anonymous]

Well I'm upper income, multi generations of college education, blah blah and have been invited to join, but it's not for me. For one thing, I don't like exclusionary groups (was never into sororities, etc), for another thing, I hate going to meetings and planning events and am just not a group person, and lastly, don't need it because my kids already know most of the kids in J&J anyway. I tend to find that people who were in it when they were young get the most from it. The idea of sitting around with a bunch of moms planning craft projects gives me hives.

[Anonymous]

Most of the J&J kids I know (at least in DC) go to private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:J&J was founded by Blacks that wanted to be exclusionary and were themselves excluded from DAR and the such.

Guessing nobody sponsored you.

This is the elitist attitude that is pervasive in the organization. FWIW, I am Black, two DC's in private (full freight), high HHI, etc... but this is the attitude we get from white people who look down on us and assume they know who we are. I don't need this from a group of Black people who's only "leg up" on me is that they are from a generation of well educated, well off, elite upper crust of Black society. Like a PP, I am first generation law school, self made and will not be getting anything from my broke parents' "estate". I've also never been approached about sponsorship and it is not something that I would seek out. I think J&J is a good organization for people who have a history and want to continue that legacy for their children; wanting your children to socialize with people of the same ilk is something other races/ethnicities have been doing for years. My own personal issue with J&J is that historically I would not have been someone invited to join and now that my family's pedigree may be aligned with other members, I don't feel the need to belong to a specific organization so my children can meet/mate with the Oak Bluffs crowd.

Most of the people I know from J&J aren't interested in genuinely befriending my family anyway.

A good friend of mine is very involved in J&J, and I have been to a few activities (they are usually to raise funds for a charity) and gotten to know a couple of families through it. I definitely see the appeal for upper middle class and wealthy black families and would agree with the above poster's assessment. I am white and the first in my family to attend college. You definitely get the vibe that it is for those who come from multi-generational educated families, or those that want to fake it til they make it. There are pros and cons, and it is not going to appeal to every family.

I don't even think you can compare the group to Mocha Moms. Two very different organizations.

[Anonymous]

i belonged in the 80s and it was good for me then but it doesnt hold any appeal to me now as a parent. i didn't find it pretetious as a child but i do as an adult.

i second grace episcopal.. very diveerse