The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING LATAISHA JACKSON
______
HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON
of mississippi
in the house of representatives
Friday, August 12, 2022
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a tenacious and innovative woman, Representative Lataisha Jackson.
Lataisha Jackson was born August 4, 1983, in Fort Ord, California. At birth, her young parents Ernest Jackson, Sr. and Jennette Jackson, and her only sibling Ernest Jackson, were stationed at former United States Army post on Monterey Bay of the Pacific Ocean. Most of the family's military life was in Berlin, Germany, and where her parents began instilling into her and her brother the importance of family, faith, and fortitude. The family moved to Como, Mississippi, after her father was honorably discharged form the army due to a service-connected injury. Representative Jackson recalls her mother and father's greatest exemplary measures of the importance of family, faith, and fortitude during this time. Rep. Jackson credits her strong faith and fortitude of her late father and her mother.
She graduated from North Panola High School in 2001. After graduating high school, she attended Northwest Community College during the summer and then started Alabama State University in Montgomery, AL, in August. A month after starting college Rep. Jackson's father died at the age of 37 from cancer. Jackson honored her father and his sacrifices by graduating form Alabama State University in 2005 with a B.S. in English Language Arts Education, and in 2007 with her Master's in Educational Leadership.
Rep. Jackson's grandmother Elnora Lee Jackson, a longtime educator, encouraged her to teach. So, Jackson taught middle and high school students in Troy and Montgomery, AL. During her time in the classroom, she often reflected on educational inequities that she experienced as a student herself and as an educator. After working with the City Colleges of Chicago and the City of Chicago providing summer learning enrichment, Jackson decided to return to Mississippi and provide educational support services to students in rural communities to aid them in escaping poverty through educational opportunities. Her efforts began in 2009 with Back-to-School rallies. Then, in September 2010, she founded EDUCATE Social and Public Policy, Inc. with her brother, Ernest Jackson; Jessica Fitzhugh; Paige Dugger; Pedres Finley; and Alvin Jackson, Jr. As CEO of EDUCATE, Inc., she has led many efforts to provide after school, summer enrichment, college and career readiness opportunities, AAU Basketball, food and transportation security, and other community engagement opportunities.
In 2013, Mississippi House of Representatives, District 11 seat was vacated by the death of former Representative Joe Gardner, Jackson ran a successful campaign while grieving the death of her maternal grandmother Bessie Eppenger. She was sworn into the Mississippi House of Representatives on April 26, 2013.
She currently serves as the Vice Chair of Investigate State Offices and serves on Appropriations, Judiciary B, Universities and Colleges, Local and Private Legislation, and Public Property committees. After joining her colleagues in legislative efforts to enhance the quality of life for Mississippians, Representative Jackson realize how important it was for her to fulfill her childhood dream and become an attorney. So, Rep. Jackson enrolled in the summer of 2014 at the University of Mississippi School of Law and graduated in December 2017 with her juris doctor degree.
In 2014, the National Foundation of Women Legislation recognized Rep. Jackson as an Elected Woman of Excellence, and she currently serves as the Mississippi State Director for the organization. In 2018, the American Council of Young Political Leaders chose her as a member of their seven-member delegation to travel to China and Taiwan, and to join a network of over 8,500 alumni in 128 countries and territories. Rep. Jackson tenure includes legislative effort to increase dignity for incarcerated women, infrastructure improvement and development specifically for low tax base communities, economic and workforce development, and education reform. She has collaborated with several advocates and organizations to elevate conversations and awareness of the needs of incarcerated women by providing a Hope Luncheon for Incarcerated Women in Central Correctional Facility in Pearl, MS, for the past four years. In 2021, she traveled to Ghana, then to Nigeria in 2022 to encourage trade and business efforts between those in diaspora. Jackson is currently working with German leaders to consider Mississippi for German American industries.
Rep. Jackson enjoys gleaning wisdom from her grandfather, Mack Holt, and being an orator while encouraging others through spoken words. She has used the power of words and faith during her commencement speeches at her alma maters Alabama State University in 2019 and North Panola High School, at several churches and events, and she looking to be in the commencement speaker for Northwest Community College's Summer Graduation on August 1, 2022.
Rep. Jackson is the proud godmother of two amazingly gifted and talented godchildren- Cedquavious Hunter and Lauren Perry, that she loves dearly. She is an active member of Askew Grove M.B. Baptist Church in Sarah, MS. As a Beta Pi initiated member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, she continues her service to all mankind as a member of Upsilon Iota Omega Chapter. Rep. Jackson is also a member of the Mississippi Delta Links, Incorporated.
Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Representative Lataisha Jackson for her dedication to serving her community and this great state.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 135(1), Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 135(2)
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