Jason Jackson currently serves as director of the Lealtad-Suzuki (Multicultural) Center in the Department of Multicultural Life at Macalester College, where he leads programmatic efforts centered on social justice that promotes the growth and development of students. Previously, he served as Multicultural Education Coordinator and Teaching Specialist in the Leadership Studies department at the University of Minnesota, where he taught courses and wrote curriculum. Jackson has also served as assistant director of the Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC) for Queer and Trans Life at the University of Minnesota, where his work centered on educational efforts for staff, faculty, and students and outreach across the University of Minnesota. He received his undergraduate degree in Communications Studies and Masters in Organizational Leadership and Policy Development at the University of Minnesota. Originally from Dallas, he has resided in Minneapolis since 2008 and lives by the James Baldwin quote, "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."
From Pain Comes Strength: Families, Ballroom, and Resistance
“The ball is a focus point, but it’s the relationships and community that fuel resistance.” In advance of the Walker’s July 11 Vogue Night Sunset Ball Competition, Jason Jackson speaks with its host, Fatha Jazz Bordeaux about the Twin Cities ballroom scene, the FX show Pose, and the ways balls can serve LGBTQ people of color as spaces for expression, safety, and community.