Jacquelyne Jackson facts for kids

Jacquelyne Mary Johnson Jackson (February 24, 1932 – January 28, 2004) was an American sociologist. A sociologist studies how people live together in groups. Jacquelyne focused on older people, especially those from minority groups. She worked as a teacher and researcher. For over 30 years, she helped shape government plans for these groups. She also talked about how older minorities could get social security benefits.

Early Life and Education

Jacquelyne Mary Johnson was born on February 24, 1932. She had a twin sister named Jeanne Naomi Johnson. They were born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Her parents were James and Beulah Johnson. Jacquelyne grew up in Tuskegee, Alabama.

Jacquelyne decided on her career path after seeing something sad. An older couple had to sell their home. They needed money for medical care. At that time, there was no Medicare or Medicaid to help. The couple then had to live in public housing. Seeing this made Jacquelyne want to help older minority groups. She also wanted to work on civil rights and public service law.

She first went to Hampton Institute in 1950. After two years, she moved to the University of Wisconsin. She had planned to become a lawyer. However, two professors changed her mind. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology in 1953. This was from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Career and Research

Jacquelyne continued her studies at the same university. She earned her Master's of Science in Sociology in 1955. Then, she received her Doctorate in Sociology in 1960. This was from Ohio State University. She started her post-doctoral work in 1961. This was at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Later, she did more post-doctoral work at Duke University. She was the second Black professor there. She was also the first Black woman professor at Duke. This was from 1966 to 1968. She also worked at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

From 1959 to 1962, Jacquelyne taught at Southern University-Baton Rouge. In 1962, she became a professor at Jackson State College. This college was mainly for Black students. She taught there until 1964. Then, she moved to Howard University. This is a famous historically black university. In 1966, she joined Duke University. She taught medical sociology there. From 1969 onward, she was a visiting professor. This was at St. Augustine's College. She also taught at Howard University again from 1978 to 1985.

In 1998, Jacquelyne said her most important work was in ethno-gerontology. This field studies aging in different ethnic groups. She explained that her work aimed to keep up with changes. She wanted to find out why things were happening. Then, she would suggest changes to public programs.

Jacquelyne's research focused on older Black people in the United States. She looked at differences within this group. For example, she studied variations based on gender, age, and ethnicity. She also considered how discrimination affected Black communities. In the 1960s, some of her work looked at how segregation affected people.

Jacquelyne wrote for over 80 scholarly journals. She also published two books. The first was These Rights They Seek in 1962. This book was about her work in the Civil Rights Movement. Her second book was Minorities and Aging in 1980. She also wrote about affirmative action. This is about making sure everyone has fair chances. She also discussed the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas controversy from 1991.

Jacquelyne was the President of the Association of Social and Behavioral Scientists. She also led the Caucus of Black Sociologists. She was on the Board of Directors for the Carver Research Foundation. This was at Tuskegee University. She also directed the National Council on Black Aging. She was a member of many important groups. These included the American Sociologist Association and the Gerontological Society of America.

Personal Life

Jacquelyne was married to Murphy Jackson. They had one child together.

She retired in 1998. She moved to Kansas to be near her daughter's family. Her twin sister, Jeanne, also lived in Kansas. Jacquelyne passed away on January 28, 2004. She was 71 years old. She died from pancreatic cancer in Stillwell, Kansas.

Awards and Honors

Jacquelyne received many special awards and fellowships. She was a John Hay Whitney Fellow from 1957 to 1959. She also became a National Science Foundation Fellow in 1959. She was a National Institutes of Health Fellow twice.

She also received awards from other groups. These included the American Psychiatric Association. She appeared many times before Congress. She was also on a popular TV show called The Constitution: That Delicate Balance. On this show, she shared her expert knowledge.

Selected Writings

Books

• These Rights They Seek. Public Affairs Press, 1962.
• Minorities and Aging. Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1980.

Periodicals

• "Aging Black Women and Public Policies," The Black Scholar, (May/June 1988)
• "Them Against Us: Anita Hill v. Clarence Thomas," The Black Scholar, (Winter 1991/Spring 1992)
• "Race-based Affirmative Action: mend it or end it?" The Black Scholar, (Summer 1995.)
• "The Bell Curve: what's all the fuss about?" The Black Scholar, (Winter 1995)
• "The Bell Curve (Book Review) intelligence and class structure in American Life," The Black Scholar, (Winter 1995)
• "But Where Are the Men?" - Ebony 1972 (also featured in Black Scholar)