Jacquelyn M. "Jackie" Ramos

Jacquelyn "Jackie" Marie Ramos was born on September 5, 1950, in Acushnet, Massachusetts, to her beloved parents, Joaquim "Jack" Ramos and Lillian (Livramento) Ramos. She grew up in New Bedford's South End, in their neighborhood home alongside her older brother, Wayne Douglas Ramos, in a close-knit family that nurtured her curiosity, compassion, and fierce sense of justice.

As a child and young adult, Jackie was known for her quick wit, love of learning, tenacity, and willingness to stand up for others. Whether helping neighbors, excelling in school, or finding her voice in the social movements of the era, she continued deepening the values that would guide her life's work: a deep belief in the power of education, community, and collective struggle for a more just world.

Early on, Jackie set out to fully realize her own dreams and to help others do the same. She received her bachelor's degree in 1972 and her master's degree in education in 1974 from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. At Amherst, she was a member of the undergraduate class that dramatically expanded the enrollment of multiracial students on campus in 1968, fostered her lifelong friendship with her mentor, Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, and launched her storied career serving education organizations across the sector.

This career journey, fueled by her unwavering commitment to social justice, included work with the New Bedford Public Schools, the University of Massachusetts and Wheelock College, the Educational Testing Service, the United States Department of Education, and the American Friends Service Committee. Jackie also pursued her doctoral degree at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, where she served as Chairperson of the Editorial Board of the Harvard Educational Review. Even with her significant contributions to the local community and nation, Jackie also spent many years as a leader in the international community, working with the Venceremos Brigade, now the oldest organization working in solidarity with the Cuban people for social justice.

Extending her educational and professional accomplishments, Jackie was steadfastly devoted to her community, tirelessly advocating for the well-being and representation of those too often overlooked and underserved. Among her many community activities and advocacy efforts were her service to the New Bedford Historical Society, the Smithsonian's Cape Verdean Connections Committee, the New Bedford YWCA, and the New Bedford Women's Fund, the latter two of which she served as a member of their boards of directors. Jackie's outstanding leadership earned her numerous community and professional awards, including the New England Black Scholars Award, the Community Service Award from the Cape Verdean American Veterans Association, Special Recognition for Minority Business of the Year from the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the YWCA Women of Distinction Award in 2022.

For Jackie, no honor meant more than the 25-year success of Sunshine's Place, the community-based early childhood education center she founded in 2000 and named for her grandfather, Antone "Sunshine" Ramos, to serve a neighborhood that had no other such services. At Sunshine's Place, Jackie was far more than a founder and executive director. She was a brilliant and compassionate visionary whose dedication created a nurturing, safe, and loving environment where countless children grew, learned, and thrived. Her deep belief in supporting families, uplifting her staff, mentoring young people, and strengthening the community she cherished was evident in everything she did. Jackie was, herself, a source of sunshine in the lives of others.

Even the radiant light evoked by her center's name is lost each day with the setting sun. The sunset of Jackie's own radiant life came on Sunday, March 22, 2026, when she passed from this mortal life at her home in Acushnet. She will be ceaselessly missed by all who knew, admired, and loved her. She leaves behind to mourn her death and celebrate her life a large and loving circle of family members-her sibling, nieces, nephews, cousins-and countless friends, colleagues, students, and community members whose paths were forever changed by her presence in their lives.

Her visitation will be held on Tuesday, March 31st from 4-8 p.m. at Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park Street, New Bedford. Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 47 South Sixth Street, New Bedford, on Wednesday, April 1st at 10 a.m. A repast brunch will follow at the Century House, 107 South Main Street in Acushnet. Jackie's cremated remains will be laid to rest at St. John's Cemetery in New Bedford at a later date.

For those wishing to commemorate Jackie's life with a donation to Sunshine's Place, please use this link: https://tinyurl.com/InMemoryofJackieR.