Jearlean Osborne

Jearlean has 40+ years of experience as a social justice advocate and activist. Her work throughout the years of organizing has been tailored to meet the needs of people where they are. Jearlean draws from her experience and expertise in early childhood development, adult literacy, and advocacy for low-income families, promoting gender equity and racial diversity.

 

Jearlean helped lead MLICCI’s “More is Caught than Taught” project, which resulted in the launch of “Grassroots Leadership.” She continues to provide on-site training for child care centers to include diversity and anti-bias values in child care practice and implement quality improvements required by the state in financially affordable ways.

 

As a learner-centered, activist adult educator in the tradition of Paulo Freire and Septima Clark, Jearlean authored adult literacy curricula such as “Welfare Rights and Change” during Mississippi’s battle over “Workfirst” welfare reform that harmed female welfare recipients in her adult literacy classes.

 

Jearlean has earned numerous awards, including the NAACP Outstanding Community Service Award, Zeta Phi Beta Outstanding Service Award, Laurel Wreath Award, SRS Outstanding Citizen Female Award, and 1993 graduate of Leadership Gulf Coast.