Jean E. Fairfax facts for kids

Jean Emily Fairfax (born October 20, 1920 – died February 12, 2019) was an important American woman. She was an educator, a civil rights worker, and someone who helped communities. Jean Fairfax worked hard to make sure everyone had fair chances in education, especially African American students who were poor. From 1965 to 1984, she was the Director of Community Services for the NAACP.

Jean Fairfax's Early Life and Schooling

Jean Fairfax was born in 1920 in Columbus, Ohio. Her parents taught her how important education was. They were the first in their families to be born free and both earned college degrees.

Jean went to public schools in Cleveland. She earned her first college degree from the University of Michigan in 1941. She graduated with honors and was invited to join a special honor society called Phi Beta Kappa. In 1944, she earned a master's degree in World Religions from Union Theological Seminary.

Working in Education and Church Groups

In 1942, Jean Fairfax moved to Kentucky. She worked as the Dean of Women at Kentucky State College until 1944. After that, she was the Dean of Women at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama from 1944 to 1946.

Her job at these colleges included organizing religious activities. This led her to join many student Christian groups in the South. Jean believed that faith, helping others, and working for fairness were all connected. She once said that working for social justice was part of her religious upbringing. She felt a deep concern for what happened to her community and her people.

Jean Fairfax worked closely with the local YWCA and the Fellowship of Southern Churchmen. The Fellowship's main goal was to bring Christians together in a society that was divided by race. They held meetings where people of different races could gather, which was a brave act at that time. Through this work, Jean became good friends with Nelle Morton, a leader in civil rights.

Helping Others with the American Friends Service Committee

After World War II, from 1946 to 1948, Jean Fairfax worked for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). This was a Quaker organization that helped people. She traveled to Austria to help with relief work there.

In 1949, she came back to the U.S. and continued working for the AFSC. She helped students in colleges and universities in New England. In 1957, Jean returned to the South. For eight years, she directed the AFSC's Southern Civil Rights Program. She worked closely with African American families who were affected by school desegregation. When these families faced problems like losing their jobs because their children went to desegregated schools, Jean helped them get financial support.

Fighting for Rights with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund

In 1965, Jean Fairfax joined the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Here, she made big contributions to the civil rights movement in the South. She kept organizing and helping Black families deal with early school desegregation.

She would drive lawyers from the Legal Defense Fund through rural Mississippi. They met with parents to talk about sending their children to formerly all-white schools. This was a risky decision because of possible hostility. Jean Fairfax even personally escorted 6-year-old Debra Lewis on her first day of integrating Carthage Elementary School in Mississippi.

Jean Fairfax once said that the civil rights revolution was often started by the most vulnerable Black people. Many of them were women and children. She called them "tough, resilient, hopeful, beautiful children." She said that standing with them as they took risks was the greatest experience of her life. She later noted that some rural counties in the Deep South ended up with the most integrated school systems in the nation.

Jean's work for educational opportunities wasn't just for young children. She also fought to protect historically black colleges. She wanted to stop them from being downgraded or closed due to funding cuts. She also organized a group of women to demand a school lunch program for children who needed it. This led to changes in the National School Lunch program.

Giving Back: Philanthropic Work

After leaving the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in 1985, Jean Fairfax and her sister Betty focused on philanthropy. This means giving money and time to help others. Jean moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to be with Betty. Betty had been a teacher and civil rights advocate there since 1950. A high school in Phoenix was even named after Betty in 2007.

In 1987, the two sisters created the Dan and Betty Inez Fairfax Memorial Fund. This fund helps expand educational opportunities for African American and Latinx students. That same year, they "adopted" a class of eighth-grade students at a school in Phoenix. They challenged the students to finish high school and go to a four-year college. They promised to give $1,000 a year in scholarships to 92 students who did this.

Here are some other ways the Fairfax sisters helped:

• The Betty H. & Jean E. Fairfax Fund for Educational Equity in Arizona.
• Jean started the Black Legacy Endowed Fund and served as a trustee.
• The Jean Fairfax Scholarship at the University of Michigan helps students who are good at academics and show leadership.
• Jean helped create the Social Justice Fund at the Arizona Community Foundation.
• The Betty H. Fairfax Medallion Scholarship at Kent State University helps African American students from Cleveland become teachers.
• The Betty H. & Jean E. Fairfax Cleveland Foundation supports minority students from community colleges and universities.

Jean Fairfax also wanted to encourage more African Americans to give to charity. She realized that philanthropy wasn't just for very rich white people. She and her sister, even on modest incomes, gave over $100,000 a year by living simply. Since 1987, the funds they created have given out over one million dollars. Jean also worked with Temple University to create a program called African American Reunions and Philanthropy. This program encourages families to talk about giving back during family reunions.

Boards and Organizations Jean Fairfax Served On

Jean Fairfax served on many important boards and committees. Here is a partial list:

• Black Presence in Organized Philanthropy
• Commissioner for the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO
• Central Committee and Programme to Combat Racism (World Council of Churches)
• Planning Committee of the White House Council on School Lunch Participation
• National Commission on Secondary Schooling for Hispanics
• Urban Institute
• National Public Radio
• Union Theological Seminary
• Arizona Community Foundation
• Southern Education Fund
• Ruth Mott Fund
• Children's Foundation
• Public Education Fund
• Women and Foundations Corporate Philanthropy

Awards and Honors

Jean Fairfax received many awards for her important work:

• Lifetime Achievement Award, Radcliffe College, 1983
• Council of Foundations, Distinguished Grantmaker of the Year Award, 1989
• Honorary doctorate of laws, Tougaloo College, 1991
• Lifetime Achievement Award, First National Conference of Black Philanthropy, 1997
• Leadership for Equity and Diversity Award for Women and Philanthropy, 1998
• President's Social Responsibility Award, Kent State University, 2000 (with Betty Fairfax)
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Servant Leaders, Arizona State University, 2003