Uncrowned Community Builders

Yvonne was born on October 28, 1945 to the late Tyler James and Frozelle Sadler James. She was the second of four girls. Her older sister is Dorothy, the third sister is Sarah, and Doris is the baby. Her father worked at Chevrolet Plant on East Delavan and her mother was a house wife. They were a close knit family that did a lot of activities together with Yvonne's maternal grandmother and her mothers' siblings, who came from Washington, Pennsylvania to visit often. As young children, each summer the family went to Washington, Pennsylvania to visit with their grandmother who owned her own farm. Yvonne's father's family lived in Buffalo and was very religious. Her father's sister-in-law- was a preacher at a time when female preachers were few and far between.

Yvonne's aunt's church was Bethlehem Temple located on Jefferson Avenue near East Ferry. The James family did not attend because it was a sanctified church and they were Baptist. They attended Calvary Baptist Church on William Street where Reverend Wilbur Trammel was the pastor. The James family lived in the Willert Park Projects and Yvonne and her siblings attended Public School # 31 until 1953.

When her family moved to Cold Springs (East Ferry), Yvonne attended Public School # 53, Ada James Hager was the principal. Yvonne was active in the after school program with two of her closest girlfriends, Evelyn Fletcher and Bernice McKinney. The three were inseparable and doing everything together. They belonged to the Silver Eagle Drum Corp, Post 2501. Commander Clark was in charge. It was located on Broadway and Pratt Street. They practiced three to four times per week and they marched in Memorial Day, Veteran's Day; and Independence Day parades. They also competed in many competitions.

Yvonne graduated from school # 53 in 1959 leaving behind one of the most important role models of her life. She was Quida Clapp. Mrs. Clapp had a profound affect on Yvonne's life. She often visited with Mrs. Clapp after graduation. Yvonne attended East High School located on North Hampton Street. Evelyn and Bernice also attended East High School where they became involved with the Charm Club headed by Rani C. Rawls, who was also a great influence in Yvonne's life. Mrs. Rawls was a no nonsense person who Yvonne loved and respected. Yvonne graduated from East High School in 1963 and got a job at Deco Restaurant located on Jefferson and Main, behind Sears and Roebuck. Her father had a stroke in 1960 and her mother had a stroke in 1961. She wanted to stay at home and help with the finances because her father was no longer able to work. Bernice went away to college in Institute, West Virginia and Evelyn moved to California shortly after. They have remained friends and kept in contact with one another for over fifty years.

In 1966, Yvonne got a job working with New York Telephone Company while attending the University of Buffalo evenings taking social work courses. She met Grace Adam (Tate) and Joyce Taylor with who she became good friends. Shortly after June 1966, Yvonne's father died. Her mother died on Thanksgiving in 1969. It was the saddest time of her life. The death of both parents within this short period overwhelmed the entire family.

Yvonne was married in 1971 and her daughter Karma Christopher was born in 1972. It was a short and unhappy marriage. Yvonne continued with school and graduated in 1975. She continued to work at the telephone company because of the low paying jobs in social work. She also worked as a volunteer with Marion Hyman at St Augustine Center. They recruited children for Cradle Beach Camp and had a reading program where they helped children with reading problems.

Yvonne took a few addictional courses at Erie Community College at night. Richard Wahousky, Director, Erie County Medical Center (Downtown Clinic) asked her to work for him as a Mental Health Counselor. She met another important mentor, Juli VanWoert who became her supervisor and encouraged her to create a program for African American females who are recovering from addictions. With Juli's guidance Yvonne created Just A Sister Away, or (JASA). She worked part time at ECMC until the layoff in 1992. In 1993, she got a part time job as an addictions counselor with Beacon Center (owned and operated by Faith Cole) where she facilitated a program for females who are addicted to chemical substances and are also prostitutes. It was called the Magdalene Group.

Under the direction of the late William Gaiter, Yvonne became involved in WNYCAR (Western New York Council on African Relief). WNYCAR adopted a village in Africa. They had various fundraisers to help send African American children to experience Africa. In 1988, Yvonne had the opportunity to go to Senegal, West Africa and it changed her life forever. Her daughter, Karma had the opportunity to go and explore the school system. Yvonne has also been active with Women for Human Rights and Dignity, the Urban League and has sat on several boards in the community.

She became involved with ASCAC (the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations) with some of the most knowledgeable African Americans in the country. The goal was to rewrite history from an African, African American perspective. Yvonne attended many of the conferences across the country, which continued to move her toward an African centered life.

She retired from the telephone company in 1995 with thirty years of service. She went back to school and received her Masters Degree in Social Work and in 2001, she got a job working for the State of New York. Yvonne is a social worker specializing in addictions counseling. In September of 2003, ADPA (Alcohol and Drug Professionals Association) presented her with an award in local excellence; the Buffalo Association of Black Social Workers voted Yvonne, Social Worker of the year. Also, in 1994, the University at Buffalo, Social Workers Alumni voted her Social Worker of the year.

Yvonne believes that the most important thing that you can have in life is relationships. She has so many wonderful relationships. Her friends are always there to encourage her and push her forward when she feels like she wants to give up.