Interview, Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jeanette Jackson (b. 1946) was born and raised in Rochester, New York. After graduating from Churchville public schools, she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Central State University, in Ohio. Jackson went on to earn a master’s degree in education administration from SUNY Brockport, and she did some post-graduate work in civil rights law at the University of Rochester. Jackson has held positions with WHEC television, the Model Cities Program, the Housing Council, and she has worked as a teacher. She was active in community organizations such as the Urban League, the Rochester Health Network, the Community Chest, and the Community Childcare Center, and she has received awards and recognition for her work in the community. At the time of this interview, Jackson was a professor at Cornell’s School of Labor and Industrial Relations and she was the first black woman to serve as the Director of Affirmative Action for Monroe County.

In this interview, Jackson discusses her family’s history in the Rochester area. She talks about her efforts to bring affordable housing to all parts of the city and emphasizes the importance of education in solving problems that face Rochester’s black community. Jackson shares stories about picketing stores with racist policies and of participating in a protest against the use of police dogs as a scare tactic in black neighborhoods.