Victoria "Vickye" James

As role models go, Qiana “Kiki” James never had to look far. She grew up in a home routinely filled with friends, family and sometimes strangers in need of a place to stay or a meal to eat.

That’s how it’s been for decades — those in need of help shouldn’t be turned away.

The community-driven spirit that has now come to define James’ own life was instilled by her grandmother, Eunice, and mother, Victoria “Vickye” James.

“Both motivated me in the woman I am today,” James told The Post-Journal on Monday, two days after her mom, a member of the Jamestown City Council, died suddenly and following the passing of Eunice Faison on March 10.

Kiki James believes her mom learned her civic-minded ways — many geared toward assisting youth in the Jamestown area — at a young age from her own mother.

“I just think that was passed down,” James said. “My grandmother was the same way. When a non-family member needed a place to stay, my granny would help them. My mom was the same way.”

Kiki James said her mom’s life was defined by helping others, family or not. One such project highlighting this was upgrading the playground equipment at the former Chadakoin Park, a years-long effort that came to fruition in the summer of 2018.

“Her true passion was definitely helping others,” she said. “She always looked out for the people. Everybody came to her and our house was open to everyone. And if they had a problem, the came to her. She fixed it or she tried to fix it. Her true passion really was to help the community, not even just her district, but the whole city. She really held that all on her back.”

Kiki James currently resides in Alabama and is in the process of getting her master’s degree in public administration. She said working with people is certainly the result of growing up in a welcoming home, one that often hosted large weekend breakfasts.

“I’m a people person, I love making sure people are good and helping people grow and become better,” she said. “That was instilled in me and that has helped define me become the person that I am.”

While her mom was an elected official, serving on the Jamestown City Council representing Ward 3, Kiki James believes she wasn’t really a politician. Being on the board, she said, allowed her mom to connect with the community and learn of issues arising at the city level.