Carol L. Jackson

Carol L. Jackson, 66, of Ashland, went home to be with the Lord, Saturday, March 10, 2018 surrounded by her loving family.
She was born January 1, 1952, in Ashland, KY, a daughter of the late William Thomas and Marie Bell Blake.
Carol was a member of Johnson Memorial C.M.E. Church in Ashland and was a 1970 graduate of Paul Blazer High School. She has fought discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations and financial transactions for more than 20 years as the chair of the Ashland Human Rights Commission. She developed a local commission from a committee that didn’t have a permanent home into a full commission with office space in downtown Ashland, which has become a hub for civil rights activity. She was the first African American woman elected to the Ashland Independent Board of Education and the first to chair the board. She is the state representative from Ashland to the Kentucky Board of Education and sitting president of the Boyd-Greenup County NAACP. She has used her voice and organizing skills to bring people of all races together to fight discrimination. In the early 2000s, she organized a community rally that drew more than 500 people to the Paramount Theater in Ashland to offset the appearance in town of an anti-gay religious group. More than 3,000 people attended the Agri-Cultural Fair that she organized several years ago to celebrate the heritage of all people in Northeastern Kentucky. She created the Mayor’s Youth Council to encourage students to learn about local government. The Ashland Human Rights Commission, under her leadership, holds annual Conversations about Race to produce discussions on human rights issues. She has worked with the National Conference on Community and Justice to bring diversity training to Ashland schools for administrators, teachers and students. Under her leadership, the Ashland Human Rights Commission in 2003 and 2004 provided a safe meeting place for members of the Gay-Straight Student Alliance at Boyd County High School. A nominator said Mrs. Jackson “has demonstrated her compassion and caring on many occasions, but refuses to accept credit or recognition.’’ She was inducted into the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights Hall of Fame in 2012. And many more accomplishments, too numerous to list.
Those left to cherish her memory include her husband, Charles E. Jackson, Jr. of Ashland; daughter, Mylinda Jackson Jones (Rev. Stacey B. Jones) of Ashland; sons, Charles E. “Trey” Jackson III (April) of Ashland, and Bradley T. Jackson (Tracy K. Russell) of Ashland; brothers, Aaron Blake (Kim) of Tacoma, WA, and Kevin Blake (Kristeen) of Federal Way, WA; sisters, Cassandra Ford (Garner) of Frankfort, Mary Blake of Shelbyville, Jennifer Blake of Lexington, and sister and best friend Bernice Henry of Ashland; grandchildren, JonPaul and Elizabeth Carol Jones, Charles E. “Chas” Jackson IV, and Grayson Alexander Jackson.
A Celebration of Carol’s life will be held 2 p.m. Thursday, March 15, 2018, at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church with words of comfort provided by Rev. Stanley McDonald, Rev. Stacey B. Jones, Rev. Daryl Williams and Rev. C.J. Adkins.
Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, at the church.
In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Carol Jackson Memorial Scholarship, c/o Members Choice Credit Union.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Steen Funeral Home Central Avenue Chapel.
Online condolences may be sent to www.steenfuneralhome.com.

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