Local Black History Presentation

Phillip Jackson

Black History in Burnett County

As can be imagined, Burnett County is NOT known for its large percentage of black residents. But there is one family that has lived in Burnett County since 1949 and has had a big impact on the area.

Perhaps you are familiar with the Jackson family. Our speaker's mother, Edna Jackson-Schroeder, was a staple of the community. She was a Lioness, member of the American Legion Axillary, member of the Zion Lutheran Church in Markville, Citizen of the Year multiple times, and was a transportation extraordinaire driving around the elderly and disabled for 27 years. By the end of her 102 years, she was pilar of the community and a shining example of overcoming prejudice.

Remember that 1949, the year the Jackson family moved to Burnett County is BEFORE the Brown vs. The Board of Education ruling that desegregated schools, BEFORE Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat, BEFORE Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech. Part of the Jackson family saga is resisting local pressure to drive the family out. But the family stayed and has been residents of Burnett County for 77 years and still counting.

Please welcome Phillip Jackson to our library as he tells the story of what it was like to grow up black in Burnett County.

You may also like the following events from Larsen Family Public Library:

• Next Wednesday, 25th February, 11:30 am, "SAVE Act" Presentation in Webster
• Next month, 4th March, 02:00 pm, Google Drive in Webster