Roberta Jackson
Associated Building(s): Jackson Circle Parking Deck; Jackson Hall;
Other Relationships: Professor of Education, First Black Tenured Woman Professor
Birthplace: Germantown, North Carolina
Lifespan: 1920/1999-07-10
Race: Black
Sex: Female
Relationship(s) to University: Professor
Era(s): 20th Century Modernization
Involvement(s): Civil Rights
Narrative: http://unchistory.web.unc.edu/building-narratives/jackson-hall/
More info: https://museum.unc.edu/exhibits/show/names/jackson-hall
Latitude/Longitude: 35.431352, -76.463328
Dr. Roberta Jackson (1920-1999) and her husband Dr. Blyden Jackson are the namesakes for Jackson Hall. She was a distinguished professor who became the first African-American woman to earn tenure at UNC, assisted with the diversification of university faculty, and is credited with making minority students feel more at home in the campus atmosphere. Jackson Hall was built in 1942 and is presently used by the admissions department. It was named amidst the campus struggle to build a black cultural center.