Juanita Batchelor is an African American woman born to her two parents on an Air Force base in Missouri. Juanita moved to Springfield,Massachusetts at three years old where she later became a mother to her two children Darrell and Jajuana Jenkins and later became a Grandmother of five. Juanita's first experience in serving her community began in a healthcare setting as she worked as a CNA for several years. On June 4th, 2014, Juanita's life changed forever as she bore the loss of her only son Darrell Lee Jenkins Jr. to gun violence. Darrell's murder although still unsolved remains a catalyst for turning her pain into purpose in the fight for justice.
That year she began community organizing efforts to establish a support group MORE (Mother, Overlooked, Reaching Out, Empowerment)Inspiring Change Fighting For Justice for BIPOC families experiencing loss due to homicide and missing persons. In 2020 MORE officially became a 501c3 non-profit, offering support to all genders, youth, and BIPOC backgrounds. MORE's office is currently located at 20 Maple Street, Springfield, MA, 01103 and is open to the public. Juanita and the volunteers at MORE have hopes to expand and open a larger community safe space called the Darrell Lee Jenkins Jr. Resource Center in honor of her son.