Jacylynn Jones
board member / parent / community organizer
Biography
Jacylynn Jones is a parent and resident of the North End neighborhood. She has been volunteering with In Progress since 2012 and has assisted In progress in developing programming for the neighborhood. Jacy brings her expertise as a parent of 3 In Progress artist and an advocate for community arts programming.
In recent years, Jacylynn has also begun making films related to grief.
Board Service
2016 to 2025
CONTACT
With grief there also comes change. The old habits that are known and familiar and present but they change and adapt and move us to survive without the ones we have loved and lost. The Bible says “blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.” It is a promise I hold on tightly to, as I have come to realize that showing my emotions brings me comfort. Grief still comes . . . . comes in waves. I was drowning when I first heard that my twin sister might not make it, and all my feelings were sad and I felt so much pain. The waves of emotions were relentless and all I can do was to hang on and float through my emotions.
I never know what’s going to trigger my grief - a place me and my sister always go, a song that we song together, her children, even me looking into the mirror. Even though it has been more than a year now, I still do know how to cope with this grief. There are no rules to this. Trust me I checked google. I also know already that everyone will die someday. It’s just dealing with the grieving process, and going through life without my sister is what I have to learn. Staying around people that will bring the good out of me not the negative. The waves will still come but over time they will be farther apart. I cry over these waves of emotions. Talking about me and my twin sister, our memories over the years, bring tears, but now also laughter. The waves will not stop coming, because they are supposed to be there. So when the waves of emotions caused by grief comes I still will learn how to swim. I am called a TWINLESS twin, I have to represent us both. Most often people forget surviving siblings often become the forgotten mourners.
photographed by Lee Elee Vue / writing, concept and curation by Jacylynn Jones
THE death of a twin
The death of a twin is unimaginable. It is the loss of one’s self in the reflection of water. But here I am now in this river of happy memories that flow down my face when I think about you.
photographed by Lee Elee Vue / writing by Jacylynn Jones / featuring Jayla Jones, Layla Whipple and Malea Whipple
A Family New
Our loss is deep, and there is no replacing you. But here we are. . . . a family new, made from our collective tears. As our tears fold into the water we have become what we are now one family built from tears of grief.
The reflection of Water / a story of grief and water
