Barbara Loomis Jackson '50
Week of January 1, 2001

"Without question, Wellesley had a significant impact on my life both as a woman and as a black person," Barbara Loomis Jackson '50 wrote in 1974. Four years earlier, she had begun what would eventually be an 18-year term as the first African-American member of Wellesley College's board of trustees.

As an undergraduate, Jackson was "the 'only' Negro for my first two years at Wellesley and one of no more than six anytime while I was there," she recalled in 1974. "I was clear in my own mind that I did have a responsibility to 'explain' myself—and, in effect, all black people—to others whose only experience with Negroes was in the role of janitor, porter, or maid. Some had never had any contact with Negroes at all. I did not mind—even welcomed . . . —patiently describing what we did at home, that there were black doctors, lawyers, and dentists. I have no way of knowing whether my presence and constant explanations of how we lived had any lasting impact on those who were in college with me. I hope so."

Jackson has spent her professional life working to make a positive impact on the lives of others. In the early 1960s, she served as executive secretary of the Bergen County (N.J.) Council of Social Agencies, coordinating the efforts of local health and welfare agencies. In 1965, the Society of Clinical Psychiatrists of Northern New Jersey honored Jackson's many efforts in the area of mental health. "The list [of accomplishments] is indeed, extensive," the citation read. That list included "a program of foster home and adoptive care (Project SEARCH) . . . a program for school dropouts and the slow learner . . . the extension of family counseling services . . . a day-care center for deprived children" and more—17 different organizations and projects in all.

Along with her many professional, volunteer, and family activities, Jackson began studying for a master's degree in social work. In 1964, she took a new position, working with the Englewood, N.J., school system to implement a comprehensive school-improvement program. This job, funded by a Ford Foundation grant, made her rethink her educational and professional path.

By 1967, Jackson had completed her master's degree in a new field—education. That year, she and her two children moved to Cambridge, Mass., where she began working toward a doctorate in educational administration at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She received her degree in 1970, the same year she was elected to Wellesley's board of trustees.

"Since completing my doctorate . . . I, like a growing number of my generation and certainly most of the present generation, have tried to use the skills, training, and knowledge gained at institutions like Wellesley to improve the conditions affecting the lives of black people," Jackson wrote in 1974. Jackson's first postgraduate job, which she began while she was still in graduate school, was with the Boston Model Cities program, where she became administrator of education. One of President Johnson's last Great Society programs, Model Cities sponsored grassroots empowerment projects. In Boston, the model neighborhood was Roxbury, a predominantly black community. "So everything that I did there, for that particular program . . . was to empower people in . . . the black community," Jackson remembered in a recent interview.

After Model Cities, Jackson moved into academia. She began her career path as an associate professor and director of the doctoral program in administration and supervision at Atlanta University. In 1979, she became a professor of education and dean of the school of education at Morgan State University in Baltimore. Both schools are historically black universities. Jackson noted, "Most of my university work has been involved with trying to help people [who are underrepresented] become superintendents or at least get doctorates. . . . So I think [that in] indirect ways, I did fulfill what I said."

As Wellesley's first African-American trustee, Jackson felt that she was "a kind of spokesman" for the black community. "I couldn't speak for all black folks or African-Americans, but when [it seemed] appropriate to say something, I was not reluctant to do so, at all. . . . I felt kind of responsible, that I should pay attention to things that might make a difference."

When Jackson joined the board of trustees in 1970, the civil rights movement "was still pretty active," she remembered. At one point, she recalled, African-American students at Wellesley staged a sit-in during a board of trustees meeting. "I was in a bit of a quandary, because I was part of what they were protesting against—I was part of the board and all," Jackson said. "But that got resolved by talking it out and trying to find some ways that the girls could have a bigger voice."

Since 1987, Jackson has been a full professor at Fordham University's Graduate School of Education. This year, she is completing her third and final year as chair of the division of administrative, policy, and urban education. While at Fordham, Jackson has continued to shine. In 1995, she published Balancing Act: The Political Role of the Urban School Superintendent. In 1996, she received the Dr. Kathryn I. Scanlon Award for "significant contributions to education," recognition of her leadership "in bringing women's and minority-group issues to the forefront," her class secretary, Barbara Carlson '50, wrote. And this past fall, Columbia University's Teachers College named Jackson and two others as Distinguished Alumni Awardees for 2000.

Written by Liz Ruark