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Interviewee: Rachel Cheeks-Givan

Interviewer: Steven Payne

Summary by Ellie Harkins

May 26, 2022

Disciplines

African American Studies | Public History

Abstract

As a Bronx native and long-time resident, Rachel Cheeks-Givan embodies the community service she preaches throughout her work in different organizations, namely Jack and Jill of America, Inc., which focuses on providing a community for families of color. Growing up in Underhill, she had a strong sense of unity amongst other families in her neighborhood and their children. Each house on the block became her house, and each family was a surrogate for her own. Her mother, who immigrated from Puerto Rico, made their home a community pillar, fostering an area full of welcoming energy. Her father and his parents, who ventured to the Bronx via Harlem, added to the communal atmosphere. Although her years at Baruch College kept her close to home, Cheeks-Givan was sent abroad through her accounting job almost immediately after graduation, eventually taking her back to the States, to Dallas, Texas.

After eight years, Rachel returned to the Bronx, where she met her husband and settled down to have children. Organizations and community still remained a central part of Rachel’s life as she joined the sorority 8 Omega Omega and the Greater Bronx Linx, in which she helped to charter. Both Omega Omega and the Linx organization fostered in Rachel a great gratitude for communal solidarity and sisterhood. She started the Links with Cheryl Simmons-Oliver who is most recently the President of Jack and Jill in the Bronx. This organization focuses on impacting every child by giving them a sense of gratitude, an education on their black culture, and a level of fun engagement among members. Joining with her daughter when she was about three years old, Rachel quickly moved up the club ranks, now serving as the ninth president. Throughout COVID-19 and beyond, Cheeks-Givan and members were able to continue to inspire the youth of tomorrow through mentorship and give back financially to the Bronx neighborhood around them. As she continues to do her work within the organization, she maintains its importance in helping continue the legacy of Jack and Jill starting from the children and beyond.

Link to Video Recording: https://cdm17265.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/baahp/id/69/rec/9

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