Life & Work with Jayda Jacques of National

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jayda Jacques.

Hi Jayda, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was conceived under circumstances that caused my mother to look at me as her punishment. From a child I was given my foundation from my older brother Greg. He sacrificed a lot to make sure I was safe. I never met my father. My mother told me that he didn’t want to know me. I loved to read and write as a child. I loved to sing as a child. When my brother left home my world changed. I was tossed into dangerous residential programs and dealt with physical and mental abuse. My foundation taught me right from wrong. My inner self craved family and love and when I had enough of the abuse Jayda was created to protect Jessica and the only place for me to go was to the streets. I was raped before I lost my virginity. My DYFUS worker took advantage of me, that was when I knew state officials couldn’t be trusted. When I knew I would have to create and build my own family. Build my own village. I did just that. Choosing the streets was a conscious choice of mine. Gang culture was prevalent on the east coast in the mid to late 90’s early 2000’s. Crips tried to recruit me. Bloods got me. Piru’s became my family. Growing up in Newark NJ wasn’t easy but that is where my loyal family was. My first stint in jail was for 3years. Fighting and projecting my anger was normal for me. I had so much anger inside of me. I never understood why my mother didn’t want me. Why she blamed me for things I had no knowledge of. As I grew I became to understand quickly that she stayed in survival mode her whole life. Coming from Haiti to a place where she thought was better did not sit well with her I guess. I am her last child. The one who she had no intention of keeping yet here I was. That to me is the power of God. What is meant to be will be and no man can stop it. Anywho, gang culture. I rose in the ranks quickly. I have always been curious and I never believed that I was bad. School came easy to me so I needed to learn as much as I could about the set I was banging. So I went to California and connected with the real OG’s the black Panthers. Learned about co-intel pro. Learned why I chose to this way of life. Jayda was a protector. She never wanted anyone to be mistreated, violated or feel unloved. Jayda was broken though. She was angry and hurt. I soon learned that hurt people hurt people. In the early 2000’s in Newark Nj crips and bloods were not friendly. Somehow I fell in love with a Crip, had a baby by him and together we worked to reduce the violence in our city by creating safe spaces where bloods and crips can come together to see that we are not that different from one another. I began going to the middle schools in my city to work with the students that were deemed “trouble makers” I volunteered my time and energy every week to work with our young ladies. 9 Strong Women was born. Brick CIty (my first TV show) followed my love life and my advocacy work. We filmed 2Seasons of Brick CIty and next came Jersey Strong. Then my whole world changed when my then fiance was murdered in cold blood. A case that has never been solved. When Darel Creep Evans was killed I lost my partner. I lost the person who had no problem with me being my best self. I was able to travel with him alive. I was able to grow my program with him there with me. I only trusted him with our children. When he was killed I had to refocus. My son was not a fan of cameras and my daughter was a small innocent baby that I wouldn’t allow the industry to infiltrate. I began working with the Newark Community Street Team and used my influence in the streets to save as many lives possible. I was apart of the HRI team (High Risk Intervention) and a supervisor on staff. Single woman, single mother,activist. Late nights of taking guns out of the hands of other angry and hurt men and women in pursuit of lowering the crime rate in my city. That took a huge toll on me. I burnt myself out but never stopped mentoring and loving on my ladies. Fundings fell through. I was a registered non-profit without a 501c3. I put myself last on my list which wasn’t smart. One thing nobody could take from me was that I was a mother who focused on her children. I did not bring the streets home. I protected my babies. My son Alhameir graduated with honors from University High School in Newark NJ. He beat all odds. I sent him to college in Atlanta and he has continued to thrive and make me proud. My daughter Layla went through two major traumas in her life. I used all my skills to bring her out of the dark. I began to homeschool her and pour love into her. She never ceases to amaze me. She will be graduating in 2027 from High School and will be going to college to pursue Business Management in addition she wants to study medicine so we will see how it goes. I am ready to take on the industry and finish my story. There are years that the cameras didn’t catch. Some would say I was exploited. I take it day for day with the understanding that what is for me will be for me. I have two full treatments prepared and ready for filming. I am actively shopping them around. I don’t burn bridges so I do know a few people but I am a different woman today. I search for like-minded folks to work with. My mentor certification came through Prodigal Sons and Daughters. They helped me direct my anger and use it for good. All Pirus, Bloods, and Crips are not bad people. We deserve a voice. The voiceless has one in me.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My road was everything but smooth. I come from an abusive background. A ward of the state. Victim of sexual abuse. Gangbanging. I changed how women in gangs were treated and that wasn’t easy but it was worth it. How? I changed how ladies looked at themselves. We are not to be exploited, we are not here for sex. The man who I though was for me was murdered in cold blood. I fell into deep depression but no one came to my aid except for one very special individual. If a woman believes you as a baby is a punishment, you can imagine how I was treated.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a certified Mentor. I am most known for that. My nonprofit 9 Strong Women was created in 2008. I am an activist. I worked with one of the best crime reducing companies under the teachings of Aqueel Bashir out of Los Angeles. This is what I am mostly proud of. The fact that I took my real life,my real pain and dissected it. A piru from the streets of Newark NJ changing lives. WHo would’ve thought? I also worked in the Trauma Unit of Jersey City NJ. I am here to serve my people.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I never met or saw my father before. My favorite hobby is reading and I auditioned for the singing group 702 back in the days. I have a remote cleaning service called Gleam and Glow Elite that I just started in January 2025. I have a one year old Granddaughter named Nairobi Aloni
I thought at one point that I could represent the culture politically. Either begin our own party of give us a voice in Congress

Pricing:

• National Keynote Speaking $2,000 – $5,000
• Workshop – Full Day: $1,500 – $3,000
• Workshop – Multi Session $3,500 – $6,000
• Consulting(Nonprofit/Brand/Media) $75-$200.00 /hr
• One on one Sessions $150.00

Contact Info:

• Website: Nobreaksent@gmail.com
• Instagram: 9Strongwomen / Unforgettable Wisdom
• Facebook: Jayda Jacques