A native of the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York, Tashima M. Jackson, is the Founder and CEO of My Sisters’ Keeper. Since she was fifteen years of age, Tashima’s dream was to work in the human services field, (Social Work). She felt it was her duty to help teenage girls overcome obstacles that they were bound to face. She realized teen pregnancy was going to be a social issue that was going to escalate as years passed.

Four out of ten girls become pregnant at least once before the age of 20. At the age of 16 Tashima became pregnant, she felt alone, confused and very scared.  She decided to terminate her pregnancy due to the lack of emotional support she thought she wouldn’t receive from her parents.  Tashima believes that if there was a program like MSK available at the time she was seeking emotional support her outcome may have been different. Unfortunately, the fact remains that a number of young mothers do not have a positive role model to help put them back on track, someone that’s going to encourage them to reach “their” highest standards.  Having someone teach these young mothers that it’s okay to make mistakes, but it becomes a problem when you make the same mistakes over and over is what many of them need.  Seeing how it was so easy for a new mother to repeat the same cycle was a little disturbing.  Listening to people tell Tashima that she couldn’t change the situation or that there wasn’t enough money for all the headaches she would encounter, she decided against following her dream.

In 1999 she chose to pursue a degree in computers. With the soaring demand for technicians and the ever-increasing salaries being rewarded to individuals in this field, she thought this would lead her to a successful career. In December of 2003, Tashima graduated from Monroe College in The Bronx, New York City earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems. She has since realized that money does not lead to happiness. She would rather take on the challenge of making a long-term difference in the lives of young mothers in her community. Their growth and smiles would compensate for all the money in the world.

In January 2005, Tashima received a Mentoring Supervisor Certificate from Big Brother Big Sister. She also has a background in community service and is an active volunteer for a non-profit organization called AIDS Family Volunteer Program (AFVP), where she is a mentor to a fifteen-year-old young lady living with HIV. This young lady inspires Tashima everyday because of her free spirit. Even though she is living with this incurable virus, she believes that she will live a normal and healthy life. For the past five years she has also volunteered for a non-profit organization called Self-Help, which provides entertainment during Christmas time for children and their families that are either infected or affected by HIV or AIDS. Tashima repeatedly says that seeing the smiles on the faces of these children melts her heart. It puzzles her that these innocent children live with a disease that is incurable, by no fault of their own.

In addition, in 2004 she organized a coat drive at her place of employment, Océ North America, where she collected donations and purchased new coats, hats and scarves for residents of Icahn House East LLC, a shelter for mothers and children that are victims of domestic violence. Most of the families in this shelter left home with only what they had on their backs. This was the first year this was organized and would definitely not be the last. She was determined to make it an ongoing charity event.

Tashima believes that there is no reason to live life just for you. If you can’t help people grow, how can you grow? Having someone say “thank you Tashima, for reaching out and believing in me” is a successful result that she feels proud of. The opportunity to help someone turn a not so good situation into something better is meaningful to her and why she had a strong eagerness to start her own mentoring program. My Sisters’ Keeper is something that she could put 110% into and not get discouraged if she doesn’t get 110% in return. Tashima believes that her first hand experience, training, community service experiences, and support from the community will help her run a successful mentoring program.

Tashima takes the name My Sisters’ Keeper very seriously; those three words have a powerful meaning. She feels that one person’s problem or issue is the communities’ problem or issue.  The relationship that she builds with her young mothers will be priceless. It will not only be based on business; but a true sisterhood that will blossom with dedication and loyalty. She will live and die by the words My Sisters’ Keeper. She will always be there to help and encourage her sisters’ at anytime.

I would like to thank my family & friends who believed and encouraged me to follow my dream. I feel that this is one long, but worthwhile race I need to win and it wouldn't have been possible without your support.

Love

Tashima