Lena Terrell Jackson (December 25, 1865 – September 4, 1943) was an American educator. She taught Latin to African-American students in Nashville, Tennessee for over fifty years.

Early life

Lena Terrell Jackson was born in Gallatin, Tennessee, and raised by her mother Louise Jackson. She attended

Fisk University Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1930, Fisk was the first Africa ...

, graduating in the class of 1885. She earned a master's degree, and had teaching certificates allowing her to teach Latin, German and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

.Louise Davis
"Popular Negro Teacher Dies but her Enthusiasm Lives On"
''The Tennessean'' (September 8, 1943): 36. Newspapers.com

Career

Jackson taught Latin in segregated Nashville, Tennessee schools for over fifty years, from 1886 at Nashville's first black high school, Meigs High School, until her retirement from Pearl Senior High School in 1942.Sonya Yvette Ramsey
''Reading, Writing, and Segregation: A Century of Black Women Teachers in Nashville''
(University of Illinois Press 2008): 15-16.

She wrote of her career, "I have devoted my life to endeavor to uplift my race by teaching and instructing children, realizing that by helping promote the cause of education among the colored race and the developing of the mind, the great questions that are before my people can more easily and properly be met."

She also invested in real estate, funded scholarships, and wrote essays on African-American life. She was active in the Fisk University Alumni Association, serving as an officer and on several committees. She was also active in the Pearl High School Parent-Teacher Association, and an officer in the Ladies' Aid Society of Howard Congregational Church in Nashville.

Personal life

Lena Terrell Jackson died in 1943, aged 77 years. Her former students named a chapter of the

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization for high school students in the United States and outlying territories, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship (academic achi ...

for her. "She was a small woman with a big reputation," declared one reporter at the time of Pearl High School's centennial in 1998."Pearls of Wisdom"
''The Tennessean'' (July 26, 1998): 57. via Newspapers.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Lena Terrell 1865 births 1943 deaths Educators from Nashville, Tennessee Fisk University alumni American educators