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.
Early life
Ida Louise Jackson was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi on October 12, 1902. She was the daughter of Pompey Jackson and Nellie Jackson. Although a former slave born in Alabama, her father was a pastor and farmer. Her mother was born in New Orleans. Jackson was one of eight children, but was the youngest child and their only girl. At the young age of three, Jackson had learned to read and was permitted to go to school with her older brothers. By the time that she was eight, she was enrolled in Vicksburg’s Cherry Hill High School. She later graduated from high school at the age of eleven in 1914. Ida Louise Jackson attributed her love for education to her parents. In an interview with the Bancroft Library, as part of their Black Alumni series, Jackson recalls the time her father told her and her siblings to, “Get an education. It's the one thing the white man can't take from you.” Jackson spoke at length about the value of education that was instilled in her at a young age and her parents’ view of schooling increasing their access to opportunities. In addition, Jackson recalled that her time in the South was stepped in fear of racial violence -- especially for the boys of the family. Jackson’s mother was fearful of what would happen to her sons, so she encouraged them to move to California in hopes of securing better jobs and a sense of safety in the West. While her brothers were in California, Jackson finished school. She attended Rust College as a boarding student, and trained as a teacher at Dillard University in New Orleans. By 1917, she had earned her Normal Teaching Diploma and certificate in home economics. In 1918, after the death of her father, and as participants in the first wave of the Great Migration, Jackson and her mother joined her brothers in Oakland, California.
Education
Jackson had applied to teaching jobs in the Oakland Unified School District, but denied. School officials had claimed that she was not qualified to teach. Instead of letting this stop her, Jackson enrolled at the University of California at Berkeley in 1920. At the time, she was one of the 17 Black students at the university. Despite the low number of Black students on campus, Jackson emphasized in an interview that there was a strong sense of camaraderie between the few African American students. Jackson added that she and another student had opened up their homes for social gatherings since there were few places for Black students to be in community.
During her early years at Cal, she learned about the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) sorority. She was impressed by the women of this organization and their strides in the field of education. Eager to create a safe space for Black women that also presented opportunities in education, Jackson worked to bring the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority to Berkeley. She co-founded the Rho Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha on Berkeley’s campus as the school’s first Black sorority. Many have incorrectly reported that the Kappa chapter of another sorority was first however, this is incorrect. None of the women were actual members of the other organization until September of 1922. In 1922, Jackson earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a major in Education, Vocational Guidance, and Counseling. She then applied for a teaching position in the Oakland Public Schools, only to be told by administration that she was still not qualified. Determined to prove otherwise she earned a Master of Arts Degree from the University of California, Berkeley the following year.