JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Johnson Family YMCA, a staple of Jacksonville’s Northside, has served Black families for generations and changed countless lives for the better.
Affectionately known as just “Johnson,” the Y has been considered a safe space for families in the area for seven decades and one of the few places Black families could go for recreation in Jacksonville during segregation.
From fitness classes to members sitting around a table looking at old photos, “Johnson” offers not only a sense of community but also camaraderie in an environment that’s remained the same for nearly 80 years.
“This was the hub of the community. This was where everybody came, for whatever reason. We had little, but we had a lot,” said Pearl White.
White was a high school teacher by day and served as the Johnson Y’s Aquatics Director after school and during the summer -- a role she nurtured for 40 years, dating back to 1969.
White said the YMCA was a gathering spot, especially for children.
“Because there were no parks for them to play. This was the one place that they could come to that their parents knew they were safe. They were being watched and supervised,” White said.
From teaching swim lessons to tap and ballet classes, White pretty much did it all -- except pool maintenance, she joked.
“We had one tennis court, we had a softball field, and of course the gymnasium, which of course is the only original building that’s still on the property,” White said.
Nestled on Cleveland Road on Jacksonville’s Northside, the Johnson YMCA’s history starts in the 1940s. The original building was built in 1946 and chartered as the Colored YMCA in 1948.
The branch quickly became a staple in the Black community.
In the 1960s, it became the Johnson Family YMCA, named after civil rights activist and Jacksonville native James Weldon Johnson.
Johnson’s widow gave her blessing for the name change, and his photo hangs prominently on a wall for members to see as soon as they walk through the door.
Looking back, White said she and others who worked at the Y made the most of the challenges that come with being located in an underserved community because “we had to.” That included asking neighbors and the high school where she worked for used equipment.
“We had all of these kids that needed us. We needed them, but they needed us much more,” White said.
Longtime member Joyce Delifus said having the Y has helped her mentally and physically over the decades. Delifus, who is in her 70s, said she’s been a member at the Johnson Y since she was 9 years old.
She and her late son, Shawn, learned to swim there. Delifus' son went on to train Olympic athletes until his death in 2016.
Joyce Delifus created a foundation in her son’s honor that has taught children and adults how to swim at the Johnson Y in the years since.
“Everything started here, and that’s why I wanted the foundation to start here. We’ve taught now in nine years close to 2,000 babies, small children and adults,” Delifus said. “It had to start here.”
The Johnson YMCA is still helping families seven decades later. Recently, the Y opened a food pantry to help address food insecurity in the area, which is considered a food desert. The pantry is open every Monday.
From diabetes prevention classes to Bible study, Executive Director Faith McGlown said the sense of community is felt as soon as someone walks through the door.
“It’s really a heartwarming feeling to see just how deep the legacy and traditions of the Johnson Family YMCA go in this community,” McGlown said.
Looking at a wall in the YMCA featuring pictures of all of the men and women who’ve helped maintain this branch, White expressed a sense of pride knowing that this relatively small operation is still going strong.
“I hope it still stands for a very, very, very long time,” White said.