Scott, Marian Willis
Determined to give her children lives unrestrained by segregation, Marian Willis Scott banded with 33 other Black mothers in 1951 to start a program offering experiences otherwise off-limits.
"Our children did not have the opportunity to go to the theater, to learn manners, to go to movies or to nice dinners. We Black people had to expose our children to those things ourselves," said Alfreda Mayes, past president of the Atlanta Chapter of Jack and Jill of America Inc.
The chapter now consists of 200 mothers, its ripple-effect enriching children for generations, including families of civil rights movement leaders such as former U.S. Rep. John Lewis, the Rev. Ralph David Abernathy, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young, former Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson, and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Scott was one of the last remaining founders of the Atlanta chapter when she died August 30, 2020 after an extended illness. She was 96. A private graveside service will be held September 10 at Lincoln Cemetery. Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home West End Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Read more about Marian Scott on ajc.com
View the obituary on Legacy.com
Funeral Home Information
Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home-West End Chapel
1003 Ralph D. Abernathy Blvd
Atlanta, GA
30310
