Emanuel Jackson Sr. was a strict father whose namesake didn’t always appreciate his parenting style. But, as the son grew up, he realized how much his dad’s lessons shaped him.
In 2016, Emanuel “Dupree” Jackson Jr. decided to pay it forward by starting the EJS Project, a Delray Beach nonprofit that mentors disadvantaged Black teenagers to prepare them to be tomorrow’s leaders.
“My dad helped give me guidance and, what he meant to me, I want to be that to as many kids as possible,” says Jackson, who serves about 250 youth a year from Delray Beach and Boynton Beach. “That sense of security and pride my dad gave me – that’s what I’m trying to give.”
Among its initiatives, the EJS Project places students in paid internships. As of July, there were 14 kids in the program, working for the Delray Beach Parks and Recreation department and other organizations.
“When they graduate school, they enter the workforce with at least some experience,” says Jackson, 36, a father of two who lives in Delray.
Winzie Wilson, 18, a Boynton Beach High School graduate, says her internship as an administrative assistant helped prepare her for college at Tuskegee University in Alabama.
“EJS helped me with my resume, and I’m getting well-versed in technology,” she says. “Now, I’ll be ahead of most of my peers.”
The EJS Project closed its Delray office due to the pandemic, but its work continued. It partnered with the Palm Health Foundation to track the impact of COVID-19 on Palm Beach County residents, with members collecting personal stories via an online survey and identifying those with urgent needs. The group then allocated money from the foundation’s Neighbors Helping Neighbors Fund to meet those needs. In one case, they helped a pregnant student obtain baby supplies and a laptop so she could take classes online.
Jackson gets plenty of positive feedback about his young participants, he says.
“We get calls all the time about how well-mannered our kids are. I see that, what I’m trying to instill in these kids, they’re grasping.” O
For more information, call 561-600-1056 or visit ejsproject.org.