“[The Emerald is] a place where we can tell our stories and connect as community through writing that holds the nuances of our diversity.”
by Amanda Sorell
Welcome to a new series: Meet Our Rainmakers!
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Reagan Jackson
Reagan Jackson has been a Rainmaker since the beginning — and an Emerald supporter since before the beginning.
Shortly before Marcus Harrison Green founded the Emerald, Jackson was his writing coach. And as the publication started to take shape, she supported the budding news outlet by editing, training contributors, and writing. “Community media gave me a voice and platform and has empowered South Enders to rewrite the narratives about our neighborhoods,” she said. “The Emerald provides wonderful opportunities for local writers to be heard and offers skill building and editorial support as well.”
In addition to reading and writing, Jackson’s hobbies include playing the ukulele, traveling internationally, cooking and eating delicious food, painting, and going for long walks. One of her favorite South End places to walk is Seward Park: “I walk there in the mornings to help me ground.” For Jackson, the beauty of Kubota Gardens, the taste of pho and Ethiopian food, the smell of rain, and the sound of kids laughing at Young Women Empowered all evoke the South End.
Jackson’s most recent article for the Emerald is her opinion piece “Light a Candle for Pauli Murray” about “one of the most important figures in modern U.S. history that you might never have heard of — a Black trans lawyer, activist, Episcopal priest, and poet.” When Jackson is engaging with the Emerald as a reader, she enjoys reading anything by Lola E. Peters and NaKeesa Frazier-Jennings. She also enjoys the DOOM LOOP cartoons by Brett Hamil.
Jackson says people should support the Emerald because doing so is necessary. “We have to be the change we want to see in the world. Marcus started the Emerald to be a beacon in the South End, to shine a light on our beautiful community, and through it we are able to see ourselves more clearly. [The Emerald is] a place where we can tell our stories and connect as community through writing that holds the nuances of our diversity.”
Jackson’s book Still True: The Evolution of an Unexpected Journalist will be released March 26 with Hinton Publishing. Preorder the book, which includes several essays that come from journalism Jackson has done about the South End, through the Hinton Publishing website or Jackson’s website.
Amanda Sorell is a storyteller who lives in Seattle. She’s an editor for the Emerald. Read her newsletter at eClips.Substack.com.
📸 Featured image designed by the Emerald team; photo by Reagan Jackson.
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