Luther Porter Jackson facts for kids

Luther Porter Jackson (born July 11, 1892 – died April 20, 1950) was an important historian, teacher, and writer. He was also a leader in the fight for civil rights and voting rights in the United States. From the 1920s until his death, Jackson worked hard to encourage African Americans in Virginia and other places to demand their civil and voting rights. He did this through his writings and by organizing people.

Early Life and School Years

Luther Jackson was born on July 11, 1892, in Lexington, Kentucky. He was one of 12 children. His parents, Edward and Delilah Jackson, had been enslaved until the American Civil War ended. They strongly believed in helping their own community, a idea supported by Booker T. Washington.

Jackson finished school at Lexington's Chandler Normal School in 1910. He then went to Fisk University in Nashville. There, he was in the first class to study African-American history. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1914. Later, he studied at the University of Kansas and City Colleges of New York. He received his master's degree in education from Columbia University Teachers' College in 1922. In 1937, he earned his doctorate (Ph.D.) in history from the University of Chicago.

Teaching and Writing Career

Jackson started teaching in 1915 at Voorhees Industrial School in Denmark, South Carolina. He taught there until 1918. Then, he moved to the Topeka Industrial Institute in Kansas. After two years, he decided to continue his education in New York City.

In 1922, Jackson married Johnnella Frazer, who was also from Kentucky and a Fisk graduate. She taught music at the Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute. Jackson accepted a job leading the high school section of this institute. This was one of the few high schools for African Americans in Virginia. In 1928, Jackson became a history professor at the college. He also started working on his Ph.D. part-time at the University of Chicago. He led the social sciences department for 20 years until he passed away. The institute later became Virginia State University.

Books and Articles by Luther Jackson

Jackson published his Ph.D. paper in 1942. It was called Free Negro Labor and Property Holdings in Virginia, 1830-1860. He wrote over 60 books, articles, and newspaper pieces. In 1945, he published Negro Office Holders in Virginia, 1865–1895. These books showed that African Americans were productive citizens. They also supported Jackson's belief that ending unfair racial treatment would help Black people contribute more to American society.

Jackson also wrote a history of Gillfield Baptist Church in 1937, which he republished in 1941. From 1945 to 1950, he wrote an Annual Report on the Voting Status of the Negroes in Virginia. He worked with his friend Carter G. Woodson, who helped start the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Jackson wrote many articles for the Journal of Negro Education and the Journal of Negro History. The Association also promoted "Negro History Week," which later became Black History Month. From 1942 to 1948, Jackson wrote a weekly newspaper column called "Rights and Duties in a Democracy" for the Norfolk Journal and Guide.

Fighting for Civil Rights

As a professor and a leader in the teachers' union, Jackson worked to get Black Virginians more involved in politics. In 1927, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Nixon v. Herndon that all-white primary elections were illegal. This encouraged Jackson. In 1935, he helped start the Petersburg League of Negro Voters. This group later became the Virginia Voters League.

During the 1940s, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) shared Jackson's yearly voting report widely. They sent thousands of copies to newspapers, libraries, teachers, and government officials. Jackson said that in 1944, 95% of Virginia's Black teachers received a copy. He also wrote a monthly column for the Norfolk Journal and Guide. This column highlighted African American contributions and encouraged people to take action together.

Challenging Unfair Laws

Jackson also fought against Jim Crow laws in Virginia. These were laws that enforced racial segregation. He worked with his church members, the Petersburg Negro Business Association, and other groups. He helped found the Petersburg Negro Business Association in 1937, which grew into the Virginia Trade Association.

Jackson also worked with lawyers Thurgood Marshall and Oliver Hill. They fought to make the salaries of Black and white teachers equal. In 1940, they won this fight in court. Jackson also joined the Virginia Civil Rights Organization to challenge segregation on public transportation in Richmond.

Working for Change

Jackson's activism sometimes faced challenges. Some white people disagreed with his ideas, and some Black people felt his approach was not strong enough. In 1942, Jackson, along with Rev. Gordon Blaine Hancock and P. B. Young, organized a meeting in Durham, North Carolina. Fifty moderate African American leaders signed a document called the "Durham Manifesto." This document called for improvements within the existing system and spoke out against racial segregation.

Some white moderates felt that opposing all Jim Crow laws was too much. They also wished they had been invited to the Durham meeting. So, both groups met in Richmond in 1943 and formed the Southern Regional Council in 1944. In November 1948, Jackson organized a conference at Monticello Plantation. Fifty leading activists signed a document calling for "freedom from any discrimination bounded by law."

Family Life

In 1922, Jackson married Johnnella Frazer. She was a fellow graduate of Fisk University. She taught piano at the Institute and later became the organist for Gillfield Baptist Church. She also taught music at Virginia State. They had three sons and one daughter.

Later Life and Legacy

Luther Jackson passed away in Petersburg, Virginia, on April 20, 1950, after a heart attack. He is buried in Blandford Cemetery with his wife. His writings and other items are kept at Virginia State University's special collections library. His son, Luther Porter Jackson Jr., became the first African American professor at the Columbia University School of Journalism.

Several places are named after Luther Porter Jackson to honor his work:

• The Luther Porter Jackson Black Cultural Center at University of Virginia.
• Luther Porter Jackson Middle School in Surry County, Virginia. This school displays items from the former Luther Porter Jackson High School in Dendron, Virginia.
• In Cumberland County, Virginia, the Luther Porter Jackson High School was built in 1952 for African American students. It even had an addition for students from Prince Edward County, Virginia, whose schools were closed to avoid integration. After integration, the buildings became an elementary school.
• Luther Jackson Middle School in Fairfax County, Virginia, was originally Luther Porter Jackson High School, built in 1954 for African American students. It later became an early integrated school.

Works

Books

• Free Negro Labor and Property Holding in Virginia, 1830-1860 (1942)
• The History of the Virginia State Teachers Association (1937)
• Negro Office-Holders in Virginia, 1865-1895 (1945)
• A Short History of the Gillfield Baptist Church of Petersburg, Virginia (1941)
• Virginia Negro Soldiers and Seaman in the Revolutionary War (1944)

Articles

• "Citizenship Training--A Neglected Area in Adult Education." Journal of Negro Education 14 (summer 1945): 477-87
• "Early strivings of the Negro in Virginia." Journal of Negro History 25 (January 1940).
• "Race and Suffrage in the South since 1940." New South (June–July 1948): 1-26.
• "Unexplored Fields in the History of the Negro in the United States." Negro History Bulletin 8 (December 1944): 57-67.
• "Work of the Association and the People." Journal of Negro History 20 (October 1935): 385-96.