Jerima King
Jerima is an activist and ally that has been involved in a great deal of Colorado Springs organizing and activism.
History
- Born and raised in Panama
- When? Parents names? Siblings?
- First overseas trip was to Bogotá, Colombia, to celebrate her quineañera, with her mother, Gilda.
- There she got to explore the vibrant cities of Medellín and Cali, and taste blueberries for the first time.
- A year later, she went to Waterloo, Iowa, USA as an exchange student to live with the True family in Elk Run Heights.
- At East High School, she met Bill King, the love of her life. They dated for the rest of the school year, before Jerima had to return to Panama. She and Bill maintained a long-distance relationship for two years, before getting married in December, 1976.
- Married Bill King in 1976
- Jerima and Bill met in HS and had a two-year long distance relationship
- Bill was in the airforce which brought them from Texas to Mississippi.
- In Mississippi, their daughter Anna was born.
- They then moved to Nebraska, where their son Adam was born.
- While in Nebraska, Jerima became a naturalized citizen of the US.
- After the Air Force, Bill became a contractor. They traveled to Spain and Hawaii, marking the start of their international trips.
- Madrid and Toledo, modern versus medieval, with a high speed train between them.
- Jerima's Aunt, Iberia, served as a tour guide for them. She is from Panama, but has lived in Spain for decades, and Jerima's cousins Iberin, Aidita, and Anita grew up in Spain.
- Jerima worked as a software engineer and tester until her back issues made sitting at a keyboard more difficult.
- She retired and started working as a Spanish teacher, interpreter, and translator. She worked in hospitals, schools,. and within the Colorado Springs municipal court.
- Her favorite interpreter assignment was being present at the birth of a beautiful baby boy, who she got to hold right away. "It was magical...The baby had 5 older siblings so the birth was more significant to me than to his own parents."
- A memorable afternoon when I left after my shift at the courthouse I saw elderly persons leaving a closed tent city. They were told to leave without being given an alternative. I started working to help our unhoused neighbors, initially through Blackbird Outreach and then through Spreading Smiles and Sandwiches. "It has been heartbreaking to see how the authorities in Colorado Springs disregard the humanity of our unhoused neighbors and black and brown member of our community."
- Jerima was arrested twice for protesting. The first time was against a bank supporting the Dakota Access Pipeline. The second time was at a protest against children being separated from their parents at the border.
- Jerima used her experience as an interpreter to provide support for immigrants through Accompaniment and Sancturary COS
- Through her activism she met like-minded women of faith, leading to her joining Vista Grande United Church of Christ
- Her love of travel took her to China and Azerbaijan with the junior Olympic boxing team.
- Due to her brain cancer diagnosis, Jerima has had to stop most of her activism, but was eager to support Kamala Harris and Tim Walz during the 2024 presidential campaign. She hopes to see the first women president in the USA.
List of Social Justice Involvement
- Accompaniment & Sanctuary COS
- Blackbird Outreach - Unhoused Support
- BLM/Marginalized
- CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate)
- Cheyenne Mountain H.S. Mascot Change
- Chinook Center
- CIRC – Colorado Immigrants’ Rights Coalition
- Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC)
- Colorado Rapid Response Network
- Colorado Spring Community Preparatory School
- Dakota Access Pipeline/Arrests
- HOPE COS
- League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region
- LGBTQIA+ o Inside Out Youth Services o Pikes Peak Pride
- MMIW – Missing & Murdered Indigenous Woman
- Pikes Peak Library District – Spanish Instruction
- Planned Parenthood
- Solid Rock Community Development Community Food Pantry
- Spreading Smiles & Sandwiches
- Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (No DAPL)
- Ukraine
- USA Boxing team's young boxers.
- Vista Grande United Church of Christ
Suggested Topics/Questions for Oral History Interviews
1. What is your full name?
2. Do I have permission to record this interview?
3. Where and when were you born?
4. Who else was in your family?
What were your parents’ names?
What type of work did they do?
5. Did other family members live nearby?
Tell me about them.
How did they meet?
What did they do for a living?
When did you get to see them?
6. In Panama, what did your community look like outside of your family?
How did you meet them?
What types of activities would you do together?
Tell me about your neighborhood.
7. Where did your ancestors come from?
Did your family name change when your family immigrated to the United States?
Are any of their traditions still carried on today?
What language did your parents and grandparents speak?
8. What games did you play when you were young?
What toys did you have?
Who did you play with?
Where did you play?
Did you have any hobbies?
Have your hobbies and interests changed over time?
Did you collect anything? Baseball cards, dolls, etc.
9. Tell me about your grammar and high school education?
- Differences between US and Panama that struck you?
18. What was your first job?
Describe a typical work day.
How much money did you earn?
How long did you have that job?
What lessons did you learn?
Additional jobs and details – trace career path, changes
Tell me about any influential mentors.
What were the most memorable aspects of that position?
19. Did you attend college?
Tell me about your college years.
What school? How did you decide to go there?
What was your major?
Any influential mentors?
Did you do a semester abroad?
Describe your major interests?
What were successes/accomplishments and challenges/frustrations?
Tell me about any gender challenges you encountered in college.
20. How have historic events, such as 9/11, hurricanes, the Great Depression, world wars, natural disasters, strikes, and now Covid-19 etc., affected you?
Did these events impact your community?