Ida Louise Jackson | |
|---|---|
 Ida Louise Jackson, c. 1922 | |
| Born | October 12, 1902 Vicksburg, Mississippi, US |
| Died | March 8, 1996 |
| Occupation(s) | Educator, philanthropist |
Ida Louise Jackson (October 12, 1902 – March 8, 1996) was an American educator and philanthropist. She attended and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley following her family’s move to California. As one of 17 Black students that attended the university at the time, Jackson prioritized creating safe spaces for African American community members. Throughout her undergraduate career, Jackson was invested in a teaching career, specifically in Oakland, California. Despite push back from school administration, her dreams were finally realized in 1926 when she became the first African American woman to teach high school in the state of California. At the same time, her ambitions were rooted in giving back to her community back in Mississippi. Through the networks that she formed in California, Jackson returned back to her home state in 1935 to develop programs around education and health care for poor, rural Black folks. Ida Louise Jackson’s contributions were celebrated by her alma mater and the University of California, Berkeley named their first graduate apartment housing unit in her honor.