Geraldine Wells Jones

Geraldine Jones was born in 1923 and raised in Hartford. After graduating from Hartford Public High School, she graduated from Oberlin Conservatory of Music with a B.S. in Music Education. She received her Master’s in Music Education from the Hartt College of Music. Ms. Jones was hired as the first African-American music teacher in Hartford in 1947 and remained there until her retirement in 1982. In addition to teaching, she organized the Allegro Choir for young adults. She was also an organist at Union Baptist Church. Ms. Jones was married to William Jones, Sr. for 52 years.

Sistah Nandi

Following a visit to West Africa, “Sistah Nandi” Christine Dixon-Smith, Executive/Artistic Director, founded Sankofa Kuumba in 1986 in the Bellevue Square Housing Project’s community center in Hartford. She established arts-based programs to bring the story of the Journey from Africa to the US to life. Sankofa’s programming has been built from a network of organizations including The Greater Hartford Arts Council, Connecticut Humanities, and others. Sistah Nandi has dedicated her life to elevating the Hartford community through arts enrichment platforms. She is currently working on a documentary to share with clients as she transitions into a freelance consultant for nonprofit organizations and individual adult and youth artists whose voices must be heard.

Janet Lee Jackson

I was born in Waterloo, Iowa, and I am the second of six children. My late husband, Jim, was a trailblazer as an African-American in corporate America in the 60s. We moved often but returned to Connecticut from New Rochelle, New York in 1977 for employment at Connecticut General. I earned my Master’s Degree in Social Work from NYU, where I was honored as the outstanding female graduate. I spent over 25 years as a social worker at the Village for Families & Children, where I became the first African-American Vice President of Permanency Programs and specialized in recruiting families for children who were waiting to be adopted. I retired in 2004 and dedicate much of my time to being a servant/leader at Union Baptist Church, where I am an ordained Deacon.

Patricia Johnson Wrice

I was born in Boston, the oldest of 10 children, in 1943. My mother’s family emigrated from Cape Verde, and my father descended from runaway slaves who settled in Canada. I married right after high school and had three children; two are no longer living. I divorced my husband and returned to school, receiving a Master’s Degree in Social Work from UConn. I have been an executive for 19 years and will retire in June. My siblings are high school graduates, and eight are college graduates. We are lawyers, educators, social workers, and medical professionals.

Helga "Petie" J. Gordon 

I was born in Mannheim, Germany to a German mother and a Black American soldier. My mother allowed my biological father to adopt me so her “brown baby” could have a better life in America. I came to Hartford in 1955, attended local schools, married and had a baby at 21, and divorced at 24. I raised my son as a single parent while living in public housing for 22 years, and in 1991, I purchased a condo in West Hartford. After 50 years, in 1999, I reunited with an unknown brother, and in 2001 with our birth mother. I am enjoying my retirement — busier than ever and loving every bit of my “golden years.”

Patricia Johnson

In 1969, Patricia Johnson served as a consultant with the U.S. Office of Education, traveling around the nation to provide technical assistance and to evaluate Head Start and Follow-Through Programs. For the past five decades, Ms. Johnson has engaged in educational and social research, planning, and development, as well as training and technical assistance for national, state, and municipal agencies, organizations, and institutions. She continues to redress inequity, racism, sexism, and unfair treatment in all areas of family and community life.

Ann Simpson Jennings

I was born in Hartford during the Depression. I graduated from Weaver High School and attended the University of Bridgeport. I later married, had three children, and worked as a paraprofessional in the Hartford school system. I graduated from the University of Hartford, where I received a B.S. degree with honors, and began my career in education. I worked with the Hartford Public School System’s Project Concern — where minority children were bussed to suburban communities — and headed the branch in Farmington. In the 80s, I became a human resource professional at Aetna, retiring in 2000. I have been an active member of my church and served on many nonprofit boards. I continue to show all by example a life well-lived.

Elizabeth Cromwell Taylor

Ms. Taylor was born in Bloomfield in 1925, the youngest of four children. After graduating from Hartford High School in 1942, she left for New York to study fashion. She graduated from the Peerless School of Design, concentrating in millinery (hat-making). She was hired as seasonal help at B. Altman & Company on Fifth Avenue. Ms. Taylor was employed there for 40 years — moving through the executive training program to become a buyer and, finally, working in human resources until her retirement. An avid world traveler, she moved back to Bloomfield three years ago — keeping up with fashion by reading the New York papers and mentoring young women on how to find success in their own careers.

Elaine Broaden Mobley

I grew up in Hartford’s Bellevue Square, graduated from Weaver High School in 1953, and later worked at Connecticut General Insurance. I married Thomas L. Mobley and had two girls. We divorced, and I raised my children while working at the Hartford Post Office. After 28 years, I retired and volunteered at Martin L. King Elementary School. I traveled across the country twice and continue to travel, and I volunteered with the Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters’ Foster Grandparent program. I spend time with my family and friends and I am a member of Hopewell Baptist Church in Windsor.

Alyce Taliaferro Rawlins

I was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, as the youngest of three children. I was the valedictorian of my high school graduating class, and received a B.A. magna cum laude from Fisk University in 1950 and an M.A. in Sociology the next year. I married Dr. Sedrick Rawlins in 1952, and we have two sons. We moved to Connecticut in 1956 after spending two years in Fort Dix, New Jersey, where my husband was a dental officer in the Army. When I came to Hartford, I was the first African-American professional employed by Aetna. I have been active in many organizations in the Hartford area over the last 50 years, most recently the Women’s Committee of the Wadsworth Atheneum and the Amistad Juneteenth Committee.