Ellen Swepson Jackson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ellen Swepson Jackson
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Ellen Swepson
October 29, 1935 |
| Died | November 20, 2005 (aged 70) |
| Resting place | Forest Hills Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Boston State College Harvard University |
| Occupation | Educator, activist |
| Spouse(s) | Hugo Jackson |
Ellen Swepson Jackson (born 1935, died 2005) was an American teacher and activist. She is famous for starting Operation Exodus. This program helped students from crowded schools in Boston move to less crowded ones. It was a big step towards ending segregation in Boston's public schools in the 1960s.
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Early Life and Education
Ellen Swepson Jackson was born in Boston on October 29, 1935. She grew up in the Roxbury area of Boston. As a teenager, she was part of the NAACP Youth Council. This group worked for civil rights.
She went to Boston State College and graduated in 1958. Later, in 1971, she earned her master's degree in education from Harvard University. In 1954, she married Hugo Jackson. They had five children together.
Fighting for Equal Education
Ellen Jackson worked hard for equal rights for students. From 1962 to 1964, she was a parent coordinator. She helped organize Black parents and spoke up for students' rights. She even lost a job at a bank in 1962. This happened because she went to a rally to hear Martin Luther King Jr. speak.
She also helped people register to vote. She protested to get better representation for her community. In 1964, she worked for the Head Start program. This program helps young children from low-income families.
Starting Operation Exodus
In 1965, Ellen Jackson was a mother of five children. She noticed that schools in her neighborhood, Roxbury, were very crowded. These schools mostly had Black students. Also, students there were often encouraged to learn trades instead of preparing for college.
She formed a group called the Roxbury-North Dorchester Parents' Council. They wrote letters and signed petitions. But the Boston School Committee did not make any changes. Then, Ellen received a document. It showed how many students and empty seats were in every school in Boston.
This gave her and other parents an idea. They decided to send students from crowded schools to less crowded ones. These less crowded schools were usually in white neighborhoods. They started a program called Operation Exodus. Ellen Jackson became its executive director. From 1965 to 1969, Operation Exodus helped over 1,000 students move to better schools.
Impact of Operation Exodus
Ellen Jackson's work with Operation Exodus was very important. It helped lead to a big lawsuit in 1972. This lawsuit, filed by the NAACP, led to the Boston busing desegregation. This meant that Boston's public schools had to end segregation.
In 1975, a judge named David S. Nelson praised Ellen Jackson. He said that Operation Exodus was "the beginning of it all." He believed she showed everyone that change was possible.
Continuing Her Work
After Operation Exodus, Ellen Jackson continued to work for social justice. From 1969 to 1974, she was the national director of the Black Women's Community Development Foundation. She also helped oversee the desegregation of Boston schools. This was done through a group called the Citywide Coordinating Council.
She worked for the Massachusetts Department of Education. She also worked with Muriel S. Snowden at the Freedom House Institute. This institute offered educational programs for children. It also gave information about school busing. From 1978 to 1997, she worked at Northeastern University. She was a dean and director there.
Ellen Jackson was also a delegate to several important conferences. In 1972, she gave a speech about "Rights, Power and Social Justice." She was involved with many charities and community groups. These included the Young Women's Leadership Development Program and Boston Children's Hospital.
She passed away on November 20, 2005, in Boston. Her friend, Sarah-Ann Shaw, said that Ellen was a person with strong beliefs. She was willing to fight for a better society.
Awards and Honors
Ellen S. Jackson received many awards for her work. In 1975, a special fellowship was created in her honor. It was called the Ellen S. Jackson Fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In 1983, a day-care center was named after her.
She received the Mary Hudson Onley Achievement Award in 2000. She also received honorary doctorates from several universities. These included Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts. Her life story is part of the Black Women Oral History Project. She is also remembered on the Boston Women's Heritage Trail.
