The year was 1922, in a decade remembered for prosperity and social change, as well as jazz, flappers, and bathtub gin. In Washington, D.C., the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in a ceremony attended by President Warren G. Harding and Vice President Calvin Coolidge. With literacy rates on the rise, Americans began ordering a popular new magazine titled Reader’s Digest. Overseas, England’s King George V opened a new tennis court stadium at Wimbledon while Russia and its territories merged into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In Memphis, cotton was still king, and Beale Street was in full swing.
Having won the right to vote only two years prior, trailblazing women across the nation were exploring new options and finding fresh opportunities. Determined to contribute to their community, one such group of seventeen Memphis women held their first meeting to start a local chapter of the Association of Junior Leagues of America. As the efforts of this small band of leaders grew, so did volunteer opportunities and membership.
One hundred years later, the Junior League of Memphis (JLM) boasts a thriving, diverse, 1,600-plus membership that reflects how the city and women’s roles have changed. Meetings and volunteer opportunities once available primarily in the daytime have long since expanded to evenings, nights, and weekends to accommodate work schedules. Causes and issues once considered taboo for ladies have been faced and tackled head-on. The JLM Board now includes a Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
In 1922, 17 forward-thinking women formed the Junior League of Memphis.
The JLM has been busy making a positive impact on the Memphis community since its early years.
The mission statement has evolved through the years as well. However, it retains an emphasis on the importance of developing the potential of women and effective voluntarism: The Junior League of Memphis is an organization of women whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training.
During its rich and storied history, the JLM has positively impacted an impressive list of outstanding community organizations. It would take several articles to detail their extensive work on community programs, which total in the hundreds! A few stand out, however, and illustrate the JLM’s outstanding impact on our city.
JLM’s mission statement is clear: The Junior League of Memphis is an organization of women whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training.
Standing the Test of Time: Repeat Boutique
In 1945, the JLM opened the doors to a delightful thrift shop on Madison Avenue, selling gently-used clothing, shoes, accessories, home furnishings, and goods. Since the beginning, all proceeds from the Repeat Boutique have helped fund work in the community. In 1951, the shop’s profits went towards the JLM’s $18,000 commitment to support the Memphis Speech and Hearing Center. The Repeat Boutique is still flourishing in its current location on Summer Avenue and recently donated clothing to St. Jude families who arrived in Memphis from Ukraine.
What else has lasted through the years? The JLM Garden Club formed in 1933 and is still going strong 89 years later!
Ahead of the Times: Accessibility for Downtown Memphis
Elected to JLM membership in 1957, Peggy Jemison Bodine was attending what is now the University of Memphis when she noticed physically-challenged World War II veterans had no way to get beyond the first floor in many campus buildings, get a drink of water, or use the restrooms. Participating in a committee to ensure future accommodations for disabled students sparked a passion for creating accessibility that carried over into Peggy’s JLM career.
In the mid-60s, downtown was a thriving city hub but had no access for the disabled. Under Peggy’s leadership as JLM president, the Junior League Professionals Group conducted an accessibility audit of downtown Memphis. Members measured every doorway and noted every place where elevators and handicapped bathrooms, water fountains, and parking spaces were not available. Their findings were published as The Architectural Barriers Project. Peggy observed on the JLM website, “It was interesting that the JLM was aware of these needs in the ’60s and the federal bill [Americans with Disabilities Act] was not passed until the ’90s.”
Another far-sighted project from the 1960s: JLM volunteers staffed, supported, and donated to the new public television station, WKNO.
Community Partnerships: Saving the Orpheum
It is hard to believe now, but in the 1970s, the Orpheum was in danger of closing. Worse, demolition was a real possibility. Enter the Junior League of Memphis in partnership with the Memphis Development Foundation. Publicly committing o promote and save the iconic theatre, the JLM held monthly meetings there, formed the JLM Orpheum Committee, partnered with other concerned civic leaders, and sent volunteers to Nashville to persuade government leaders to find funding. The combined efforts of the JLM and their partners were successful — the Orpheum remains one of our city’s most-loved landmarks to this day.
“At that time, it wasn’t easy for women to be involved in city and county projects,” said then-President Lucia Gilliland on the JLM website. “Men held those positions, and women took care of the home. But League members knew that women could do anything.”
Today, JLM counts Camp Good Grief, Best Buddies, Girl Scouts of America Heart of the South, Memphis Athletic Ministries, Habitat for Humanity, and many more community organizations as enduring and collaborative partners.
JLM partners with Habitat for Humanity, among many other local nonprofit organizations.
Meaningful Community Impact: Hope House
In the late 1980s, AIDS was taking a toll. By 1994, the disease had become the leading cause of death for Americans aged 25 to 44. Affected adults and children were stigmatized and isolated. But JLM members have never shied away from doing the right thing, even in the face of controversy. In 1993, members began investigating the need for HIV-related childcare, and the seeds of hope were sown.
Hope House was incorporated in 1994. Once housed in a small cubicle in the then-new JLM Community Resource Center on Central Avenue, the organization began to grow. The JLM started searching for a property to accommodate it, purchasing its first location in 1995. The following year, JLM president Anne Curtis was named to the Hope House Board of Directors, and the work to positively impact children’s lives began.
Fun was had in the 1980s as well: Widely considered the social event of the year in 1988, the Crystal Ball netted over $230,000 for community projects, the most considerable amount ever raised in one year by a JLM fundraiser. Following the event, headline entertainer Ben Vereen conducted a free JLM-sponsored workshop for Memphis City School students at Theatre Memphis.
Taking the Initiative: G.R.O.W.
Twelve years ago, a group of JLM members walked into Lester Community Center to see how they could help. They were greeted by longtime director Walter Casey, who took them at their word and put them to work! Named G.R.O.W. (Giving, Readiness, Opportunity, and Wellness), the initiative focuses on improving the Binghampton community through programming in the areas of literacy, education, health and wellness, personal growth and development, and community empowerment.
Over the years, G.R.O.W. has included three programs: At the Thursday Night Supper Club, JLM members serve family meals and offer both entertaining and educational programming from community partners. Saturday Special Events brings fun activities like neighborhood carnivals and a Pre-school Reading Program focusing on early childhood literacy.
The Pre-School Reading Program is a part of G.R.O.W.
Where else has JLM taken the initiative? Neighborhood Revitalization! By shifting from a project-based focus to an issue-based community impact model, the JLM will have a more profound and meaningful impact on Memphis neighborhoods. The shift moves the focus from meeting immediate needs to making a long-term impact.
Looking to the Future: The Next 100 Years
One hundred years from now, current JLM president Traci Strickland hopes the community is still praising the league for having an overwhelmingly positive impact on the community.
“The unique identifier for the JLM has always been trailblazing women looking for a way to fulfill needs in our community,” she says. “I know we will stay that course. The only thing we know to expect is change. I know our membership will evolve and adapt to stay relevant no matter how our world changes.”
The 2022-23 Provisional Class.
To celebrate the stellar achievements of the past 100 years, the JLM is hosting its centennial fundraiser on December 10. The Memphis community is invited to Sequins and Centennial Celebrations for an evening of dancing, fun, libations, and more, honoring the JLM mission. All funds will support the Memphis community through the continuing programs and initiatives of the Junior League of Memphis well into the future!
All photography provided by the Junior League of Memphis.
**********
Give your inbox the Southern makeover it deserves. Subscribe to our daily emails.
