Lydia P. Jackson
Encyclopedia
Lydia Patrice Jackson is an African American
Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate
from Shreveport
, Louisiana
. Since 2004, Jackson has represented the 39th District in Caddo Parish
in the far northwestern corner of her state.
Earlier from 2000 to 2004, she was the first African American to represent District 2 in the Louisiana House of Representatives
. She was an aide in the District of Columbia to Democratic former U.S. Senator J. Bennett Johnson, Jr. She is a graduate of Radcliffe College
in Cambridge
, Massachusetts
.
In 2009, Jackson made statewide headlines by sponsoring Louisiana Senate Bill 335 to delay a tax break passed in 2008 in a bid to halt budget-cutting in public higher education during a downturn of the economy in 2009 and 2010. On June 14, 2009, the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate noted that the proposal passed the Senate but "appears to be dead in the House". Jackson was to speak to the Press Club of Baton Rouge on the next day. See also cuts to higher education.
Outside the legislature, Jackson is business development officer and vice president for Capital One Bank. Her father, Alphonse J. Jackson
(born November 27, 1927) of Shreveport, is a retired educator, a former member of the Louisiana House, and one of the ten founders of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus.
In the November 19, 2011, general election, Jackson faces a challenge for a third term from her African American senatorial predecessor, Gregory Tarver
, a Shreveport businessman. In the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 22, 2011, Jackson led a three-candidate field with 9,393 votes (43.4 percent). Tarver trailed with 9,015 (41.6 percent). A third candidate, the white conservative Republican
Jim Slagle, held the remaining 3,259 votes (15 percent). Both the Jackson and Tarver families are long-time advocates for civil rights
in the Shreveport community.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. Since 2004, Jackson has represented the 39th District in Caddo Parish
Caddo Parish, Louisiana
Caddo Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Shreveport; as of 2000, the population was 252,161...
in the far northwestern corner of her state.
Earlier from 2000 to 2004, she was the first African American to represent District 2 in the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
. She was an aide in the District of Columbia to Democratic former U.S. Senator J. Bennett Johnson, Jr. She is a graduate of Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
in Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
In 2009, Jackson made statewide headlines by sponsoring Louisiana Senate Bill 335 to delay a tax break passed in 2008 in a bid to halt budget-cutting in public higher education during a downturn of the economy in 2009 and 2010. On June 14, 2009, the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate noted that the proposal passed the Senate but "appears to be dead in the House". Jackson was to speak to the Press Club of Baton Rouge on the next day. See also cuts to higher education.
Outside the legislature, Jackson is business development officer and vice president for Capital One Bank. Her father, Alphonse J. Jackson
Alphonse J. Jackson
Alphonse Jackson, Jr. is a retired educator and a former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, where he represented District 2...
(born November 27, 1927) of Shreveport, is a retired educator, a former member of the Louisiana House, and one of the ten founders of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus.
In the November 19, 2011, general election, Jackson faces a challenge for a third term from her African American senatorial predecessor, Gregory Tarver
Gregory Tarver
Gregory Williams Tarver, Sr., known as Greg Tarver , is an African American businessman and Democratic politician in Shreveport, Louisiana, who served on the Shreveport City Council from 1978 to 1984 and as a Louisiana state senator from the predominantly black District 39 in Caddo Parish from 1984...
, a Shreveport businessman. In the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 22, 2011, Jackson led a three-candidate field with 9,393 votes (43.4 percent). Tarver trailed with 9,015 (41.6 percent). A third candidate, the white conservative Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Jim Slagle, held the remaining 3,259 votes (15 percent). Both the Jackson and Tarver families are long-time advocates for civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
in the Shreveport community.
External links
- Louisiana State Senate – Lydia Jackson official government website
- Project Vote Smart – Senator Lydia Jacksone (LA) profile
- Follow the Money – Lydia Jackson