Barbara Sherrod

Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson, born in Mobile, Alabama, in 1932, was an American author, educator, and significant figure in the Civil Rights Movement. She was the sole child of John W. and Juanita Richardson Sherrod and a childhood acquaintance of Coretta Scott King. Jackson pursued higher education, earning a Bachelor of Science in secondary education from Alabama State College and a Master of Education from the University of Montevallo. She was married to Dr. Sullivan Jackson, and they had a daughter named Jawana Virginia Jackson.

Jackson's home in Selma, Alabama, served as a crucial meeting point for strategizing the Selma to Montgomery marches. In February 1964, Martin Luther King Jr., alongside Southern Christian Leadership Conference staff and members of Congress, convened at her residence to plan the marches. Following the initial, violent attempt on March 7, 1965, known as Bloody Sunday, her home again hosted important discussions. Assistant U.S. Attorney General John Doar and Florida Governor LeRoy Collins, representing President Lyndon Johnson, met with King and others at Jackson's house, contributing to the subsequent successful voting rights marches. It was also in her home that Martin Luther King Jr. viewed President Lyndon Johnson's address on the Voting Rights Act in March 1965.

Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson's residence in Selma, Alabama, played a pivotal role in the planning and execution of the historic Selma to Montgomery marches. Her home became a sanctuary for strategic discussions, notably hosting Martin Luther King Jr., SCLC staff, and congressional members in February 1964 to outline the marches' objectives. Following the violent confrontation of 'Bloody Sunday' on March 7, 1965, her home again became a focal point for critical meetings. Key figures such as Assistant U.S. Attorney General John Doar and Governor LeRoy Collins, acting on behalf of President Lyndon Johnson, gathered at Jackson's house to confer with King and other leaders. These discussions were instrumental in paving the way for the subsequent, ultimately successful, voting rights marches. Furthermore, it was within the walls of Jackson's home that Martin Luther King Jr. witnessed President Lyndon Johnson deliver his landmark Voting Rights Act Address on March 15, 1965, underscoring the home's significance as a nexus of the movement.

In her later years, Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson documented her experiences and the pivotal events she witnessed in her memoir, 'The House by the Side of the Road: The Selma Civil Rights Movement,' published in 2011 by The University of Alabama Press. Her contributions and the historical importance of her home were further recognized posthumously. In 2013, a tribute to her life was delivered in the U.S. House of Representatives by Alabama representative Terri Sewell. The following year, 2014, marked a significant milestone when her home, officially known as the Sullivan and Richie Jean Jackson House, was added to the National Register of Historic Places, acknowledging its role in American history. Also in 2014, her life and the events surrounding the Selma marches were depicted in the historical drama film 'Selma,' directed by Ava DuVernay, with the role of Jackson portrayed by actress Niecy Nash.