James Allen Sherrod White

Greetings family, friends and well wishers. My name is Tracey White and I am the proud mother of three handsome sons. I began this journey of motherhood on July 31, 1990 when I gave birth to my #1 heartbeat, James Allen Sherrod White.

James was born in Indianola, MS. We moved back to Chicago, but returned to Indianola when he was 3 years old. Which is when he first saw the Gentry High School marching band and fell in love with music.

In Indianola, James attend Carver Elementary. We moved back to Chicago and he attended A. A.Stagg Elementary, then John Hope, where he finally got to join the band. He became an excellent saxophonist. He went on to attend Hyde Park Academy, where he continued to be in the band and became the drum major. Upon graduating from high school, James went to the school where he thought the "baddest" band in the world existed, Jackson State University.

Everyone who has ever encountered James knows that he is a performer, whether it was singing, dancing, acting or just entertaining the crowd. King James, as he called himself, knew how to keep the attention of others.

James poured his love for music and dance into others. He became a dance coach and co-founder of Fuego Dance Company. He loved his students and they adored Mr. James.

James also loved his family and often went out of his way to make things happen for them, especially his mother and his two younger brothers.

On Monday, September 18, 2023, God saw fit to call James home. James walked this earth for 33 years, 1 month and 18 days. He fought a hard battle to stay here, but it was not God's will. He never waivered in his faith and trust in the Lord.

James is survived by his parents, Tracey and Big Fred; his sister, Shakena; his brothers, Lil Fred, Michael and Steven, and a host of other family members, friends, students and co-workers who will miss him dearly.

While in the hospital for nearly a year, James loved to eat and he often complained of the poor quality of the hospital food. He said, "Ma, you need to start a GoFundMe to raise money because I need to eat (Uber Eats is expensive). I never expected to need this GoFundMe to assist with his final arrangements. As parents, we don't expect to bury our children.

On behalf of James, I would like to thank everyone in advance for your support.

Funeral services for James Allen Sherrod White will be held, Saturday, October 7, 2023 at Reconciliation Ministry in Chicago, IL.