100 Black Women, Inc. Honors Deborah “Beechie” Witcher Jackson L–R: Mary Ann Miller, Founding President NCBW BP and Beechie

Honoree Deborah “Beechie” Witcher Jackson Photos: Edward Chase Images

L–R: Beechie with President Yvonne Witter

L–R: Kay Lucas (Mediasense, Inc.), Arlene Vasquez and Sonya Collins (YWCA Bergen County Board Members) 100 Black Women Bergen/Passaic chapter

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n a grand celebration on December 8, 2013 the National Coalition of 100 Black Women (NCBW 100) honored Deborah "Beechie" Witcher Jackson, the longest serving president of the Bergen/Passaic chapter. Jackson served 16 consecutive years on the chapter’s Board of Directors, president of the chapter for 10 of those 16 years and four years on the national Board. The Sunday afternoon brunch, which was held at the Assembly in Englewood Cliffs, was hosted by the chapter’s membership committee chaired by Vice President Jaclyn K. Durant, also a past president. “We wanted to show Beechie our appreciation for her persistent and consistent service, leadership, and support of building and branding NCBW Bergen/Passaic Chapter in our communities,” explained Durant. Past NCBW 100 presidents Rita Williams Bogar and Ursula Parrish Daniels Wilson, PhD. and other NCBW members shared similar sentiments. Some of the highlights of the event were reflections and acknowledgements of Beechie’s term of service by the chapter’s founding and chartering President Mary Ann Miller. A former resident of Teaneck, Miller now resides in Delaware, but wouldn’t have missed this celebration for any reason. Beechie receive many tokens of appreciation and well wishes, but the highest acknowledgement for her service

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The Positive Community February 2014

By Jean Nash Wells

to Bergen and Passaic Counties as president of the chapter was the presentation of a Joint Legislative Resolution from the NJ State Senate and General Assembly, Senator Loretta Weinberg, Assemblyman Gordon Johnson and Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle. The presentation was made by Charter Member Jeannette Curtis-Rideau and newly-elected President Yvonne L. Witter. President Witter, who succeeded Beechie, thanked her for her leadership, saying she is “a living legend” in the annals of the 100 Black Women. President Witter expressed her determination to take NCBW 100 to the next level with advocacy programming, expansion of existing community partnerships as well as the building of new ones. Gracious in her acceptance of the praise and recognition bestowed upon her, Witcher Jackson remarked, “My terms as president would not have been as successful as they were without the support of the members of NCBW 100 and the community. I am very proud of all of the chapter’s accomplishments, especially when the chapter at the 2011 Biennial Conference received the Chapter of the Year Award. I look forward to many more years of involvement with NCBW and I am very pleased to now be called “Madame X.” For additional information about NCBW 100, please visit the chapter’s website at: www.ncbwbergenpassaic.org www.thepositivecommunity.com