Jayda was born Jessica Victoria Jacques on March 15, 1983 in Miami, FL. The youngest of four, she grew up in a tough neighborhood on Miramar Parkway. Her mother, Paule Jacques, was a single parent and registered nurse who raised five children: Jessica; her sister, Paule; two brothers, Jimmy and Gregory; and cousin, Masha.
Jessica joined her first “crew,” the D.O.G.Z., before the age of 11. She did her first stint at a juvenile institution at age 11, after defending herself from a boy. Her mother removed her from the institution 18 months later, and took Jayda to live with extended family in New Jersey. Relations between mother and daughter worsened; by age 13, Jayda had moved to Brooklyn, home to her two older brothers. She was initiated into the GKB Bloods, and immersed herself in the gang lifestyle. At odds with her brothers, she ran away in her mid-teens, and eventually resettled in Newark, N.J. where she became the only female member of the Blood crew, the Pirus.
At 15, Jayda was sent to the Essex County Youth House, following a violent episode involving the Pirus and members of the Bloods’ longtime rivals, the Crips. At 16, she began serving a two year sentence in the Valentino Unit for juvenile females in Bordentown, a maximum facility for women. While coping with the pain and dangers of confinement, Jayda began thinking hard about transforming her life, redefining the meaning of banging, and striving to having more positive relations with people. She received her GED and left prison before her 18th birthday.
Back in with the Newark Pirus, she ascended to Big Home Girl status and eventually become a “G,” the Blood’s highest rank. Meanwhile, she went to work for AmeriCorps, which would lay the groundwork for her future career in mentoring. At 19, she gave birth to her son, Aljahmeir, an event that deepened her ambition to bring a positive message to gang life. But she was not yet in control of her own impulses and in 2004 got into a fight with another girl. An arrest warrant for parole violation was issued and Jayda fled with Aljahmeir to North Carolina. There, she waited tables, worked in a hotel and sold perfume, gaining valuable experience and independence.
Upon her return to Newark, Jayda became a weekly mentor to 9th grade girls. She sought to launch a non-profit program to mentor at-risk girls, a group she felt was under-served. She also began a relationship with Creep, a member of the Crips she had met while working in AmeriCorps. Their Romeo-and-Juliet romance has come to symbolize unity and leadership within their community. In 2008, Jayda launched her non-profit, 9 Strong Women, which has received its first government grants. On New Year’s Eve 2009, she gave birth to Layla Anyai, her daughter with Creep.
