Courtesy Photo-Brian T. Jackson and daughter Brielle Jackson
All three of Brian’s early educational experiences were predominately white. He graduated high school from Sexton in 2003 and began college at Western Michigan University. Jackson eventually earned his Bachelor of Arts degree and completed graduate work at Indiana State University where he participated in Varsity Football and Track/ Field as an Academic All- Conference athlete.
When it came time for professional school, Brian knew he wanted an HBCU experience and chose Howard Law School in hopes of studying “among the best minority minds in the world; in the nation’s capital.”
“Washington D.C. was so awesome!” he exclaimed. “Everyone seemed to be so nice, professional and well-to-do that had similar interests.”
Jackson also believes the instruction he received there was stellar. “Howard Law School is highly recognized all over America and the world and leading faculty compete to teach there.”
Brian appreciated his classmates as well, “They were top students nationwide and shared a common sense for social justice and that they could make a positive difference in their communities.”
According to Jackson, the social life at Howard “had to be balanced.”
“There was a lot to do in D.C. and it was a challenge to balance a social life with law school,” he added.
One of his most enjoyable experiences about attending Howard was getting acquainted with the city itself. “U Street is my spot!” he said. “You can go there with little or no money, get a snack and enjoy some good people watching. That’s where you run into lots of young, black professionals from all the country.”
Another favorite aspect about Howard University is that it is where Brian met his wife Arielle who is from Trinidad and Tobago by way of Brooklyn, New York. They met one month after he discovered they rode the same subway and got off at the same stop. As destiny designed it, Brian and Arielle also lived in the same building!
Brian says “I had a unique HBCU experience because I was earning a professional degree and not on the main campus where young people were working on undergraduate degrees. I do believe I received the best education, ever. That’s probably attributed to the fact that it was a Law Degree and far more serious, and that the faculty and staff were top professionals in their fields.” “They seemed to really care about our success and welcomed everyone’s opinions and perspectives, “he added.
Attorney Brian Jackson currently enjoys working from home as a Solo Practitioner after several years of practice with the City Lansing Attorney’s Office, Eaton County Prosecutor’s Office and public defender in Washington D.C.His community involvement includes the Shabazz Academy School Board, Volunteer Advocates of Mid-Michigan, Lansing Branch of ACLU, the Davis-Dunnings Bar Association and Football/Track Coach for J.W. Sexton High School.
Brian and Arielle Jackson will celebrate four years of marriage on Valentine’s Day, 2018. They have a two-year-old “little angel” whose name is Brielle. Howard University is a federally chartered private university that was founded by Carnegie Ford on March 2, 1867. Its’ motto is “Truth and Service.” This urban college has approximately 10,300 students on 300 acres of land. Its’ school newspaper is the Hilltop that was founded by author Zora Neale Hurston in 1924. College colors: Blue, White and Red.Faculty members include Ralph Bunche, the first African American Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Stokley Carmichael (Kwame Ture), leader of the SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee).
Noteworthy alumni include Debbie Allen, dancer/choreographer; Phylicia Rashad, actress; Anthony Anderson, actor; Sean “Puffy”Combs, rapper/singer/songwriter; Ossie Davis, actor, David Dinkins, former mayor of New York City, Kamala Harris, Afro-Asian American Society; Taraji P. Henson, actress; Toni Morrison, author/poet; Kasim Reed, former mayor of Atlanta; Richard Smallwood, gospel musician/songwriter and TaNehisi Coates, author/journalist/comic book writer/educator.