WikiExplorers Field Journal: The "Two Mothers" Project and Jack London

This is a narrative that truly transcends the era it was born in. It’s a story of "shared survival"—three people who, by all societal accounts, should have been broken by their circumstances, but instead formed a singular, unbreakable unit.

​Below a WikiExplorers Field Journal and a scene of Ms. Rivers and her students at the African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO).

​WikiExplorers Field Journal: The "Two Mothers" Project and Jack London 


​Date: February 2026

Lead Explorer: Ms. Rivers

Location: 659 14th St, Oakland (AAMLO Archives)

​The Scene: Discovery in the Archives

​Ms. Rivers: (Adjusting her glasses as she leans over a digitized 1910 Census record) "Look here, class. This isn't just a list of names. It’s a map of a family that the world said shouldn't exist. Address: 490 27th Street. Head of household: Virginia Prentiss. Living with her: Flora Wellman."

​Maya (Student 1): "Wait, Ms. Rivers... so after the suicide attempt, and after the stillbirth, and after Jack becomes the most famous writer in the world... the two women just lived together? A formerly enslaved Black woman and a white woman from Ohio in 1910 Oakland?"

​Ms. Rivers: "Exactly, Maya. They weren't 'employer and servant' anymore. They were two women who had survived the same storms. They were 'Co-Mothers' to a man who never forgot who saved him."

​Leo (Student 2): "It’s wild to think of Jack London in an AME Church. I always pictured him as this 'tough guy' on a boat in Alaska. But he was actually sitting in a pew at 15th and Market, probably singing the same hymns Jennie sang to him when he was a baby."

​Sam (Student 3): "It’s beyond color, isn't it? It’s like their trauma bonded them. Flora was broken, Jennie was grieving, and Jack was just a baby who needed to breathe. They chose each other. Is there a word for that in the archives?"

​Ms. Rivers: "In the archives, they call it 'Kinship Care.' But I think Jack just called it 'Home.' Let’s log our findings before we head to the Square."

​Explorer’s Field Log (Template)

Stop # Location The "Beyond Color" Evidence Personal Reflection

1 AAMLO Archives The 1910 Census showing Flora and Jennie living as equals. How did they spend their evenings together?

2 First AME Site Jack’s $15,000 donation to the Black community. Gratitude is a universal language.

3 27th St. House The physical proof that Jack "provided" for his Black mother. Property as a symbol of protection.

4 The Waterfront The $300 loan: An act of extreme sacrifice by Jennie.

The "Bond of Three" Visual Map

​The Core Truths for the WikiExplorers:

​The Stillbirth & The Suicide: Tragedy brought them together, but loyalty kept them there.

​The Church Connection: Jack London didn't just "visit" Black culture; he was raised in it. His rhythm of speech and his focus on the "underdog" were born in those AME sermons.

​The Legacy: When you read The Call of the Wild, you are reading a book made possible by a Black woman’s life savings.

​A Final Note:

​Ms Rivers takes the WikiExplorers to the First AME Church site, she reminds them that while the 15th Street building is gone, the spirit of the congregation is what Jack London supported. He didn't just give money; he gave his presence.

​


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