James Haynes

James Haynes was born in Jamaica, West Indies and immigrated to the USA in the 1970’s after completing High School at the renowned Kingston College.  He attended City College of New York and earned a B.Sc. Degree and received his Master’s Degree from Adelphi University in N.Y.

Upon graduation, James worked for two years as a math tutor at City College. The rewarding experience from his tenure of helping students engendered tremendous gratification, self –satisfaction and sense of purpose.  As a result, he decided to forgo his plan to pursue a career in computer programming and opted instead to explore the “Helping Professional Field” to directly impact the lives of people.

After a combined eight -year stint at Harlem Hospital psychiatric outpatient center, James landed his ideal job in 1996 at the YMCA of Greater New York- Harlem branch as a Program Director to oversee and manage a pilot special project funded by the Federal Government, Division of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to serve a homeless single- adult population who resided at the Harlem YMCA residence with the goal of ensuring their successful reintegration into the community. Under James’s leadership along with a dedicated and talented staff, the Program flourished and was deemed a model for over 20 years, helping people to get back on their feet.  James went back to school after 18 years and received his Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) with honor at Adelphi University. He also successfully completed his Senior Director Certification at the YMCA.

Since 2012, James is  the Founder and President/ CEO of Jah Jerry, Inc., a not for profit 501 (C)(3) charitable  organization named in memory of his father, the late Jerome  Haynes, O.D. , affectionately known as “Jah Jerry” in the music world. James’s father played a pivotal and significant role towards the development of Jamaican music and helped create the country‘s first indigenous music, “Ska” which evolved into Reggae in 1967.  Jah Jerry was a legendary guitarist and a songwriter who could read and write music.  He played guitar on the first song recorded by Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1962 and the original classic,“One Love, One Heart”  in 1965. Jah Jerry recorded thousands of songs during his 60- year’s musical career. He was one of the founding members of the original and ground-breaking Skatalites band which was an aggregation of some of the most gifted and pioneering musicians of that era.

The mission of Jah Jerry, Inc. is to promote education by providing scholarships to students who are music majors and pursuing a bachelor’s degree.  The organization also donates new computers and tablets to schools in Jamaica. James organizes fundraising events annually to raise funds to support the goals of the organization.  He has a profound passion for giving back and making a difference in the lives of others, especially our young people. James’s father believed that education can open the doors to possibilities, and opportunities which could expand the mind beyond limited expectations. The organization was launched with the aim of continuing the legacy of Jah Jerry with a focus on education and youth development which were dear to him. He had devoted some of his time teaching aspiring young musicians the rudiments of the guitar, and the fundamentals of reading and writing music.

James recently published his first book, “Jah Jerry:  Legacy Of An Original Skatalites “, his father memoir. He is a man of strong faith and loves the Lord. He is kind, dedicated, charismatic, warm, friendly, humble, and has strong interpersonal skills with a congenial personality. James is a role model to countless youth and adults. He credited the strong family values of his parents which made him the man that he has become. James’s father will always be his role model and mentor. He has received several awards from community-based institutions and citations from the local elected congressional, State and City representatives for his leadership and commitment to education and youth development.

He met his beautiful wife in 1982, and they were married in 1983 and have been together for 40 years.   James is an avid reader, Knicks fan, enjoys vintage songs, going to the gym and, yes, traveling with his wife to the Caribbean.  He has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and a deep interest in “Black History” and the ongoing struggle of African people for freedom and justice across the globe.