Jean Hackney, vice president and executive director of Grands As Parents Inc., and longtime kinship care advocate, has died at 77

Jean Hackney, 77, of Philadelphia, vice president and executive director of Grands As Parents Inc., longtime kinship care advocate, volunteer, and mentor, died Tuesday, April 30, of complications from the flu and pneumonia at the VNA Philadelphia hospice center.

Known lovingly on and around the 2200 block of Woodstock Street as “the grandmother of North Philadelphia” and “the queen of her community,” Mrs. Hackney served in leadership roles at Grands As Parents for two decades and encouraged city and state officials ceaselessly to support grandparents as caregivers and advance kinship care initiatives.

As vice president, executive director, and plain-speaking advocate for the North Philadelphia nonprofit, she organized GAP programs that distributed food to neighbors and provided toys, clothing, and school supplies to children. She led civic engagement forums and workshops on caregiving, legal, financial, and educational topics, and sponsored annual health-care fairs.

She made things happen, friends and colleagues said. “She took something very little and turned it into something very big,” said her nephew State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta.

Mrs. Hackney cared for her own grandchildren when they were young and lobbied hard for the federal Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act in 2017. She unofficially adopted relatives and others in the neighborhood who needed guidance, and was relentless in demanding that government agencies pay attention to everyone.

“She was never shy about advocating for her community and remained steadfast in her mission,” colleagues at Grands As Parents said in a tribute. Her niece Sonya Edmonds said: “She said what she thought. She gave you your flowers while she could.”

Mrs. Hackney was especially instrumental in leading Grands As Parents, the city, and other groups to build Susquehanna Square, 37 units of affordable housing for children and their guardians, at 15th Street and Susquehanna Avenue. “Grandparents play such an important role in keeping families together,” she said in a 2021 online interview, “but they need more resources like this.”

She won a 2019 volunteer award from the Uptown Entertainment and Development Corp., a 2022 Community Champions award and grant from the city, and was featured in a 2014 story in the Daily News about Grands As Parents. Colleagues called her “intrepid” and “fearless” in her efforts, and “an incredible leader.” Longtime friend and colleague Aissia Richardson said: “She had a vision for how kinship care could be supported.”

Shalimar Thomas, executive director of the North Broad Renaissance nonprofit, said in a tribute: “She will be missed dearly, and we are grateful for her lasting legacy and impact, and that her life will live on in our hearts and neighborhoods.”

Richardson said: “She was a warrior woman. She created an oasis on the 2200 block of Woodstock Street.”

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Doris Jean Gay was born Nov. 19, 1946, in Philadelphia. She grew up in North Philadelphia, graduated from Simon Gratz High School, and was always interested in the welfare of her neighborhood.

She married Raiffod Sanders, and they had son Christopher. After a divorce, she married Thomas Hackney Sr. in 1995. Her husband, son, and former husband died earlier.

Confined to a wheelchair for decades, Mrs. Hackney nonetheless hosted friends and neighbors at memorable lunches, and threw annual Memorial Day parties. She organized birthday bashes for colleagues and retreats for young people to Camelback Resort and Rehoboth Beach.

She enjoyed CSPAN and other public TV channels, worked for years in the facilities departments for the School District of Philadelphia and the Internal Revenue Service, and was active with the Order of the Eastern Star nonprofit. She also cared for her mother until 2020.

“She was tough and bossy, and had an incredible heart,” Kenyatta said. “She was a real North Philly original.”

In addition to her nephew and niece, Mrs. Hackney is survived by two grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, a sister, and other relatives. Two brothers and three sisters died earlier.

A memorial service is to be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 15, at the Liacouras Center, 1776 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19121. A health fair in her honor is to follow at noon.

Donations in her name may be made to Grands As Parents, 2234 N. Woodstock St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19132.