Dr. Josiah Jackson: Providing educational and inspirational resources for families with youth in school

Dr. Josiah Jackson is a highly-respected figure in education and family advocacy. As an ordained minister, educator, motivational speaker, and parent advocate, Dr. Jackson has dedicated her career to empowering and encouraging families of cultural communities to grow naturally and spiritually.

As the sixth child of eleven, Dr. Jackson received salvation at 18 while in college and has been a long-time member of the Church of God in Christ, Inc. She began her teaching career 30 years ago in Minneapolis-St. Paul public, private, and charter schools, and serving as a parent advocate for Minneapolis Parent Information Centers. Her robust outreach to families in and out of school has earned her a reputation as an education and family advocacy leader.

Throughout her journey, Dr. Jackson has overcome numerous challenges, including her teaching career, the death of her parents, and being laid off from jobs due to lack of funding. Despite these setbacks, she has remained passionate about education and motivated to help others. Her experience as an actor, writer, author, and publisher of three books, God Called Her Josiah, An Autobiography by Josiah Jackson, Leap of Faith, and Come Get These Kids, has further solidified her reputation as a leader in the field of family advocacy.

As a Parent Advocate Coach, Dr. Jackson focuses on effectively empowering parents to represent their children in advocacy and communication settings. As a parent advocate coach, she helps busy, frustrated, and stressed-out Black and Brown women in business or with jobs with school-aged children to become dynamic parents. This is done through proactive prayers, encouraging words, and motivation, so their children will grow up to be effective future leaders. Using a digital parental blueprint program, she instructs parents to ask questions, voice concerns, seek assistance, and escalate issues as necessary. Her inspiring words, fervent prayers, and magnetic personality endear her to all around her. She plants seeds for the community by praying, affirming, and promoting the development of children and families.

Dr. Jackson’s area of expertise as a Parent Advocate Coach assists parents in achieving the most favorable possible position from which they can advocate and speak on behalf of their child. Her direct experience as a caregiver coach and parent advocate gives her a unique perspective on the demands of families. She assists parents through direction, support, and resources so they can navigate the complex education landscape.

It’s safe to assume that most people have experienced happiness and despair at various points—setbacks, as Dr. Jackson describes them. There was a time when she worried about obstacles getting in her way. She eventually realized that difficulties made her more resilient and powerful. She has always been bound and determined to succeed and help those around her. Despite triumphing over adversity, the one person who had ever validated her was no longer in her life. Her mom looked like that. Her mother told her to “teach for five years and then if you want to do anything else, do that” when she started her first teaching position. Educate to test the waters, at the very least. Her mother’s death caused her to leave the classroom after five years.

In Josiah’s view, we each have our benchmarks for success. Dr. Jackson’s upbringing in a Christian household, where she was taught to have a high regard for God, reverence for others, and respect for one’s academic abilities, has shaped her outlook on life. Having a partner and walking the road God has for her are two measures of success. The goal is for her to be a vessel through which Jesus Christ’s light might be beamed onto everyone around her. She would advise others that the key to happiness is to love and have a relationship with God. If you let Him, He will use you to spread His joy to a world that desperately needs it.

Although Josiah wears several hats, she possesses the best of three arenas, thanks to her expertise in education, the food service industry, and ministry. As a result, she balances her passion for teaching with her love of cooking and her desire to preach to people from all walks of life. Dr. Jackson received her ministerial ordainment in June 2019. Africa, Ethiopia, and Israel were some of the destinations she visited while on her trip with Youth On A Mission.

Dr. Josiah Jackson’s brand is a perfect choice if you are a parent, teacher, or family-minded person. With a mission to educate, empower, and encourage families, she is dedicated to helping families thrive and succeed. “My mission is to educate, empower, and encourage families of cultural communities to grow naturally and spiritually,” Dr. Jackson uttered.