About The Jesse White Tumbling Team
At just 25 years old, Jesse White founded the Jesse White Tumbling Team in 1959 with a simple but powerful mission: to provide at-risk young people with a positive alternative to gangs, drugs, alcohol, and violence while instilling the values of education, discipline, teamwork, and community service.
What began as a small neighborhood program has grown into one of the nation’s most respected youth development organizations. Since its inception, more than 18,000 young people have participated in the program, with generations of alumni going on to lead productive, successful lives as educators, business owners, military personnel, first responders, healthcare professionals, public servants, and community leaders.
The program serves boys and girls beginning at age six and maintains high standards for participation. Team members are expected to stay in school, maintain at least a “C” average, avoid gangs, drugs, alcohol, and other destructive influences, and demonstrate respect, responsibility, and good citizenship.
Today, the Jesse White Tumbling Team includes 11 performance units that present hundreds of exhibitions each year at major sporting events, community celebrations, charitable functions, and corporate events. The team has earned national and international recognition through performances across the United States and in Canada, Hong Kong, Bermuda, Belize, China, Israel, Japan, and Croatia. The Tumblers have also appeared in national television programs, commercials, and motion pictures.
Education remains at the heart of the program. Students who fall below the required academic standard are required to attend the team’s tutoring program. By combining athletic excellence with educational achievement and character development, the Jesse White Tumbling Team continues to fulfill the vision Jesse White established more than six decades ago — helping young people realize their full potential and preparing them for lives of success, leadership, and service.
About Jesse White
To complement the work of the Jesse White Tumbling Team, White established the Jesse White Foundation to expand educational opportunities and support young people. The Foundation provides college scholarships to team members, hosts an annual “Trunk Party” that equips more than 500 incoming college freshmen each year with essential supplies –including laptop computers — and distributes more than 12,000 hams and turkeys annually to senior citizens and families in need during the holiday season.
White served 16 years in the Illinois General Assembly before being elected Cook County Recorder of Deeds in 1992. In 1998, he was elected Illinois Secretary of State, becoming both the first African American and the longest-serving person to hold that office. During his tenure, he restored integrity to the office, modernized and streamlined operations, reformed Illinois’ commercial and teen driver licensing programs — helping reduce roadway fatalities by nearly 50 percent — and transformed the Illinois Organ/Tissue Donor Registry into one of the nation’s most successful.
Throughout every stage of his career, Jesse White has remained committed to creating opportunities for young people. Through education, mentorship, athletics, and public service, he has positively impacted the lives of tens of thousands of young people. The Jesse White Tumbling Team stands as his enduring legacy, demonstrating how discipline, education, high expectations, and compassion can transform lives and strengthen communities.
About Head Coach Emmanuel McGhee Sr
As Head Coach, Emmanuel oversees the Jesse White Tumbling Team’s training program, leads a staff of 10 assistant coaches, and has coached more than 1,000 athletes throughout his tenure. His coaching philosophy reflects the values instilled by Mr. White: leading with love while embracing tough love when necessary to help young people reach their full potential. In addition to developing elite athletes, Emmanuel is passionate about building character, discipline, confidence, and leadership in every tumbler. He also serves as an employee of the Illinois Secretary of State, continuing the Jesse White Tumbling Team’s longstanding mission of empowering youth through excellence, mentorship, and opportunity.