Title
Honoring the life, work, and accomplishments of Jacqueline "Jackie" Wiggins, whose dedication to serving, teaching, and advocating for marginalized populations has immeasurably strengthened Black communities and the City of Philadelphia as a whole.
Body
WHEREAS, Jacqueline Wiggins was born on March 22, 1955, in Portsmouth, Virginia. From a young age, Jacqueline fostered a passion for teaching, stemming from her admiration for her 7th grade teacher, a nun at her Catholic school. When she was in the 7th grade, Jacqueline's school burned down, so she and her classmates were forced to travel to receive their schooling. While many of the students were not fond of the situation, Jacqueline found their traveling to be like an adventure. Moreover, it gave her time to get to know her teacher and listen to her stories, which she found very interesting; and
WHEREAS, Chasing her aspirations, Jacqueline graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1972 with a bachelor's degree in secondary education. Soon after graduating, Ms. Wiggins began working as a substitute teacher, and in 1973, she finally achieved her goal of becoming a full-time teacher. She worked at a Black Catholic concept school located in Harlem, New York until 1975, when she moved to Philadelphia to teach; and
WHEREAS, While working in Philadelphia, Ms. Wiggins was heavily involved in volunteer work for local non-profits giving back to the community. One day in 1979, Jacqueline was devastated to find that she had been laid off from her school. Undeterred, she leveraged her talent for writing and passion for serving her community to seek work in the non-profit sector, and found a job working for an anti-poverty agency in Springfield, Massachusetts. While writing proposals for this agency, Jacqueline expanded her skills and expertise in serving marginalized communities; and
WHEREAS, Fueled by her passion for people, Ms. Wiggins decided to continue her education in order to better serve the same c...
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