Mrs. Jean Washington (née Parham) was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1931. Her mother, Maggy Parham, was a seamstress and her father, Floyd Parham, worked as a skilled laborer in a steel plant in Birmingham. She had 2 brothers and 1 sister: Charles, Donald, and Constance. Mrs. Washington lived on the outskirts of Birmingham and attended East Thomas and Lincoln Elementary Schools. She then attended Parker High School, known for being the largest black high school in the world. Mrs. Washington went on to attend Miles College in Fairfield, Alabama. After graduating from Miles College, Mrs. Washington worked as a schoolteacher in Birmingham while also working in a department store. In 1954, she got engaged to Frank Washington, who then joined the Navy and completed a tour of duty. On his way back to Birmingham, Mr. Washington visited Washington, DC, and Howard University, liking both. He enrolled at Howard and brought Mrs. Washington up to D.C. so the two could be married. In 1958, Mr. and Mrs. Washington were married in the Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel at Howard University. After this initial trip, Mrs. Washington returned to Birmingham to gather her things before moving to D.C. for good. Mrs. Washington and her husband initially stayed with one of Mr. Washington’s cousins before moving into an apartment on Holmead Place in Northwest D.C. This is where they had their first child, Donna, in 1960. They went on to move to Fort Totten Drive NE before settling in their current residence on Kennedy Street NE. Over the years, Mrs. Washington and her husband had two more children: Karen (1967) and Frank (1972). Mrs. Washington continued her teaching career in Washington. She taught kindergarten at Rudolph Elementary, which was an all-black school at the time. While teaching, Mrs. Washington also attended graduate school at George Washington University. After teaching at Rudolph, she moved schools and taught at Keene Elementary School until her retirement in 1995. Mrs. Washington enjoys writing in her journal, doing puzzles and baking. She describes herself as loving, kind, and prayerful.