Nita Pippins

Jessie Juanita Pippins (February 2, 1927 – May 10, 2020) was an American registered nurse and AIDS activist. She was the co-founder of Miracle House, a housing facility for family members of those affected by HIV and AIDS.

Nita Pippins
Born2 February 1927 Edit this on Wikidata
Dothan Edit this on Wikidata
Died10 May 2020 Edit this on Wikidata (aged 93)
Manhattan Edit this on Wikidata
Alma mater
OccupationNurse and activist

Early life

Jessie Juanita Roberts was born in Dothan, Alabama, the daughter of Alto Lee Roberts and Junie Roberts. Her father was a cotton farmer. She studied nursing at Florida State University.[1]

Career and advocacy

Pippins worked as a psychiatric nurse before her retirement in 1981,[1] superintendent of the psychiatric unit at University Hospital in Pensacola.[2] In 1987, Pippins relocated from Pensacola to New York to care for her actor son, Nick Pippin, and developed relationships with his friends. After Pippin died in 1990,[3][4] Pippins co-founded and volunteered with Miracle House,[5][6] to provide housing and support for out-of-town families of AIDS patients.[7][8][9] "If I can help these families get to New York and survive it, then all these boys wouldn't have to die without their mothers."[10] She also founded a program to reunite AIDS patients with their estranged families.[11][12]

Nick Pippin's partner, Dennis Daniel, wrote a tribute to Pippins in 2007, marking her 80th birthday, titled "The Mother of Us All."[13] In 2010, NY1 News featured Pippins as the New Yorker of the Week.[14]

Personal life

Nita Roberts married Joseph S. Pippins. They had one child together, Nick, before they divorced in 1981. She died from COVID-19 on Mother's Day, May 10, 2020, at age 93.[1][15]

References
  1. Kurutz, Steven (2020-05-19). "Nita Pippins, a Mother to AIDS Patients, Dies at 93". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  2. "A Busy Man". Pensacola News Journal. 1971-12-21. p. 13. Retrieved 2020-12-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Nick Pippin, 35, Dies; Founded AIDS Group (Published 1990)". The New York Times. 1990-07-29. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
  4. "Theater-Group Founder Dies". The Star Press. 1990-07-29. p. 32. Retrieved 2020-12-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Sontag, Deborah (March 12, 1992). "Haven in the Grim World of AIDS". The New York Times. p. B1, B6. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
  6. Rostler, Suzanne (1994-02-13). "An AIDS-care Miracle Hits Son's Despair". Daily News. p. 258. Retrieved 2020-12-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Nita Pippins, New York's HIV Mom, Dies at 93". www.hivplusmag.com. 2020-05-21. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  8. Straube, Trenton (2020-05-21). "R.I.P. Nita Pippins, a Mother to Many Dealing With AIDS". POZ. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  9. Kaufman, Michael T. (June 1, 1994). "ABOUT NEW YORK; Helping Kin Of Those With AIDS". The New York Times. p. 25. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
  10. "Quotation of the Day". The New York Times. March 12, 1992. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
  11. "Oprah: sons and daughters you never know". January 1994. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  12. "Nita Pippins, a maternal figure to countless AIDS patients, dies at 93". TODAY.com. 7 June 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  13. Daniel, Dennis (2007-05-01). "The Mother of Us All". POZ. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
  14. Pippins, Nita. "New Yorker of the Week". YouTube.
  15. Boone, Ruschell (May 22, 2020). "Nita Pippins, AIDS Activist, Dies of Coronavirus". NY1. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
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