In May of 1997, Washington, D.C., couple Linden and Jacqueline “Jackie” Thompson welcomed sextuplets.
What were the names of all six babies? Here are their firsts and middles:
- Emily Elizabeth
- Richard Linden
- Octavia Daniella
- Stella Kimberly
- Ann-Marie Amanda
- Alison Nicole (stillborn)
Richard was named after Linden’s late brother, Octavia after Jackie’s mother, Stella after Jackie’s grandmother, and Ann-Marie after Jackie’s sister. The name of the fifth surviving sextuplet, Emily, was one that Jackie simply liked. (Emily was the #1 girl name in the nation from 1996 to 2007.)
Despite being the first black family in the U.S. to have sextuplets, the Thompsons didn’t receive much in the way of publicity or material assistance.
Six months later, the white McCaughey family of Iowa welcomed septuplets. The McCaugheys received not just media attention but “a 12-seat Chevrolet van, baby food, Pampers, clothes, car seats, strollers, milk, groceries and even funding for the children’s college education.”
Eventually — thanks to “the rage of the black community, echoing through black radio talk shows” — the mainstream media covered the Thompson family, and this “exposure forced the corporate community and others to intervene and assist the Thompsons.”
Sources:
- “Surviving D.C. sextuplets finally get public support.” Jet 29 Dec. 1997: 14-18.
- Lusane, Clarence. “Different ways of treating multiple births.” Baltimore Sun 8 Dec. 1997.
- Seelye, Katharine Q. “First Black Sextuplets Belatedly Win Public Notice.” New York Times 8 Jan. 1998.
Image: Clipping from the cover of Jet magazine (29 Dec. 1997)
