Anne A. Jackson
Motivated by a desire to experience life and have her voice heard, Anne Jackson participated in community activism ranging from the March on Washington to Holocaust education. Jackson was born to a family of Russian immigrants and pursued her education at Hyannis Teacher's College. She took many courses at Columbia University and at Harvard, where famous author James Michener, who became her mentor, invited her to work in a Harvard summer workshop and library. Jackson taught elementary school in Chelsea for many years, introducing innovative educational programs. In addition to her work as a teacher, Jackson immersed herself in local politics and community activism for causes such as civil rights and Holocaust education. Some of her activities have included attending the March on Washington in 1963, serving on the Brookline Town Meeting, and involvement with Facing History and Ourselves. Anne Jackson was honored at the 2000 Women Who Dared event in Boston.
Anne talks about her early life, family background, and growing up. She had a very close relationship with her older sister, Elizabeth, who she considered more as a mother than a sister. Elizabeth’s death, at age forty-four of cervical cancer, had a very strong impact on Anne. When Anne was thirty-one, she married her husband, Philip. She waited to get married because she was focused on her studies at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and teaching experience. Anne enjoyed experimenting with her coursework, primarily through art projects. Anne remembers the war years when her husband Philip was in the Army. During this time, Anne lived and taught in Washington, DC, then moved back to Chelsea and lived in a housing project. After the war, Anne and her family moved to Brookline. Her children attended Driscoll School, where Anne became president. Anne talks about her three sons, Peter, Eric, and Ira, and how their lives unfolded. Anne explains that she was always very interested in art and focused more on her own art later in life.
