Turn the Key

Thelma Washington

Thelma Washington is a Foundational Legacy and Matriarch of the House of Washington. The Washington family traces its roots to Surry, Virginia, and Thelma was among those who carried that story forward into New York.

Jamel was only two years old when she passed, so he came to know his grandmother through the people who knew and loved her. In their words, she was a truly remarkable woman whose influence lived far beyond her lifetime.

She Built It. We Continue It.

Ernestine “Teenie” Washington

Ernestine “Teenie” Washington is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, auntie, and Living Legacy of the House of Washington.

Teenie may have given birth to three children, but throughout her life she has been a mother to dozens more. The youngest daughter of Thelma Washington, she was born in New York City and raised her family in the South Bronx.

Teenie’s home was always an open door to family, friends, and anyone who needed somewhere to land. Throughout her life, she has provided a place to sleep, something to eat, and a way to stay off the streets for more people than anyone could probably count. If there was an empty space in her home and you had nowhere to go, that empty space became your space.

Known as everybody’s favorite auntie and often the life of the party, Teenie has always wanted family and friends together, laughing, eating, celebrating, and enjoying one another.

First she was a daughter. Then a sister. Soon after, an auntie, a mother, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother.

But through every chapter, Teenie has always been a mother to all.

Nancy “Aunt Nancy” White

Nancy “Aunt Nancy” White is the oldest living Legacy member of the House of Washington. The third daughter born to Thelma Washington, she followed her older sisters Carrie and Agnes.

Born and raised in New York City, Aunt Nancy spent many summers in the family’s ancestral home of Surry, Virginia. Proud, strong, and an inspiration to generations of family, she has lived a life defined by courage, loyalty, and an unwavering love for her people.

Aunt Nancy participated in the Civil Rights Movement and remembers riding the buses to Washington, D.C. She still carries a scar on her head from a policeman’s billy club — and if you ask her, she will let you feel it.

She is a family historian and an auntie to all. No one could ever question the love she has for her family. Although Aunt Nancy gave birth to two children of her own, her role as a mother extended far beyond them. She became a foster mother to four children and later raised one of her granddaughters as her own. In every sense, she helped raise a village.

And yes — like the rest of the Washington daughters, Aunt Nancy loves to party. But mess with her family and that celebration can turn into a fight real quick. 😂

Aunt Nancy is the fighting spirit of the House of Washington.

José Prensa

José Prensa is a Foundational Legacy of the House and an ancestral anchor of the Prensa line represented in Washington × Prensa.

Born in the Dominican Republic, José later made his home in New York City with Rosa Milagros Julián, where they built their family in the South Bronx. The Prensa name carried forward through the family they raised and into the generations represented in this House today.

This room begins with what the House knows today. It will continue to grow as family members add the stories, photographs, memories, and details that belong to him.

The Prensa name has a place in the House because José had a place in the family.

Rosa Milagros Julián

Rosa Milagros Julián, previously Rosa Julián Prensa, is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and Living Legacy of the House of Washington.

Born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Rosa later relocated to New York City with her husband, José Prensa, where they built their family in the South Bronx.

An old soul and a woman of extraordinary character and integrity, Rosa raised her family to become people of strength, responsibility, and service to others. There is nothing more important in Rosa’s life than La Familia.

She is the keeper of the family recipes, the calm through every storm, and the person who reminds everyone that whatever today may bring, there is still tomorrow.

What could not be done today, what did not work out today, or what felt too heavy today can be met again tomorrow.

Rosa has always understood that family is not only something inherited. It is something cared for, fed, protected, and held together.

Rosa is the Sazón of the House of Washington.

Victoriana Prensa

Victoriana Prensa was the mother of José Prensa and Janice’s paternal grandmother. Born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, she represents an earlier generation of the Prensa family whose descendants would eventually build lives in New York and become part of the House of Washington.

This is a recognized House placeholder. Her room can grow as the family contributes more of what is known and remembered.

Her place in the House begins with the family she helped bring forward.