Decatur Times

Huntsville, AL – Calhoun Community College will pay tribute to slain civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the college’s annual celebration program scheduled for Wednesday, January 18, 2023. This year’s program, hosted by the college’s Black Student Alliance (BSA) Club, will begin at 11:00 a.m. in the Student Center on Calhoun’s Huntsville campus. This year’s program speaker is Jawana V. Jackson, CEO of The Sullivan and Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson Foundation and Museum, Inc. The event is free and open to the public.

To many, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is referred to as one of the nation’s most significant civil rights leaders, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, or a Grammy Award-winning author. But to Jawana V. Jackson, he is affectionately referred to as ‘Uncle Martin’. In Selma, Alabama, Jackson was born to the late Dr. Sullivan Jackson and Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson who were close friends to Dr. and Mrs. King. Growing up, Jackson recalls the King’s staying in her childhood home during 1964 and 1965 to plan the logistics of the historic Selma to Montgomery March. History reveals that her childhood home became the headquarters for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as many other prominent civil rights leaders.

As a young child, Jackson witnessed American history take place in her home as it relates to the voting rights movement in this country. Her parents’ close association with prominent world leaders as well as their contributions to both civil and social rights forged her commitment to the principles of justice, peace and freedom. Her childhood home in Selma, Alabama contains original artifacts dating back to the mid-1800’s which depict a rich narrative of African-American life in the south and the struggle for voting rights. The Juanita Richardson Sherrod Solitude Art Collection, which contains over 60 original oil paintings created by Mrs. Jackson’s grandmother, is also on display in the home. The Jackson Home is listed on The National Historical Register, The Alabama Register of History and Landmarks and The National Park Service’s Selma to Montgomery Trail. Following in her parent’s footsteps and the other great leaders she was influenced by during her childhood, Jawana attended Fisk University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology as well as completed some master’s degree work in Gerontology. She went on to become the Director of Visitor Services for The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, Georgia, under the leadership of Mrs. Coretta Scott King, and served for 10 years. In 1996 she accepted a position in Government and Community Relations with The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, which she held until 2007.

In 2011, Jackson’s mother published a book titled The House by the Side of the Road: The Selma Civil Rights Movement to document the events that occurred in their home. Jawana later created The Sullivan and Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson Foundation and Museum, Inc., which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the historic home and her parents’ contributions to our nation. She also serves as a gatekeeper for this home recognizing its invaluable history. She is deeply committed to the cause of social justice and wishes to promote positivity by encouraging others. She considers it her mission “to find paths for people to build bridges of understanding thereby strengthening the fabric of our world community for humankind to exist in peace with justice and freedom.”

Mrs. Jackson resides in Milton, Florida, and is married to James Richie.

Original source can be found here.