BLACKVILLE, S.C. (WJBF) — WJBF NewsChannel 6’s Black Excellence 365 recognizes inspiring black individuals and organizations in the CSRA throughout the year. Recipients are honored with the Mary L. Jones Black Affirmation Award. For March, we honor Janice Livingston.
For 69 years, Janice Livingston has called Blackville, South Carolina home. And for just as long, she’s been dedicated to lifting up the people around her. “We care about each other. We love each other,” she shared. We are concerned of each other, and we want everyone to be successful.”
That commitment to service shines through her work. She spent 26 years leading Girl Scout Troop 765—without missing a single meeting. She made sure her scouts experienced the world. “We’ve been in the White House twice. We’ve been to Tuskegee Institution; we’ve been to Pettus Bridge. We walked across the Pettus Bridge. We’ve all also gone to a Broadway play,” she recalled.
She wanted the girls to learn by seeing. “When they read these stories in school, I wanted them to say, oh, we’ve been there. We did that. I wanted them to have those firsthand experiences of those activities,” Livingston shared.
Her impact goes beyond that. For the last 22 years, she’s led the Together Sisters Club. It’s a community service group focused on giving back. They host fish fries for vets, Easter egg hunts for kids, and lend a hand during the holidays. “At Christmas, we do a Christmas bingo where we bring in prizes that parents that may not have money to buy presents for their family, but we supply them with gifts that they could possibly use for their Christmas gifts,” she added.
That mission hasn’t changed, but how they serve has evolved. “We do more drive through activities. It’s not really a one-on-one, because of COVID, but we still provide those services every month.”
Her love for her community extends beyond service—it’s in the way she builds connections. “My philosophy is to always try to do something that will make someone smile. I don’t wanna see anyone upset. What you offer is good and what I’m offering and is good. And we put those two things together. We got a wonderful ingredient.”
She’s even turned her own home into a place where friends and family can come together.
Her kids outgrew the basketball court, so she turned it into the Bristol Lounge. “In that lounge we socialize and have fun. We play games, we just talk about old times. We just come together and fellowship. And of course we always have a meal. We gotta eat, got to eat, gotta eat .”
Livingston, an educator for more than 30 years, says young people hold the key to a better future. “If you listen more, you learn more. And once you get it in your, the education in your head, no one can take that away from you. Because education is the key to anything. And always learn to be kind to one another.”
Even in retirement, she’s not slowing down. “I’ve been to Greece, I’ve been to Dubai, I’ve been to Paris, so I’ve seen some, but I need to see more. There’s more out there for me to experience and to just be a part of, to see God’s creation.”
Throughout her work, one thing stays constant—her mission to bring people together.
From shaping young minds to building a stronger community, Janice Livingston has spent decades making a difference. And that’s why she’s honored with this month’s Black Affirmation Award.
