Magnolia Bradley Jackson’s home has stood on Northeast 3rd Avenue for over 60 years. After her death in May at 106 years old, her family still occupies the home.
“This is the same home on 3rd Avenue that when I was a little girl, I’d run around and play, and now my grandkids are running around this house to play,” said Tonya Edwards, Jackson’s greatniece.
On Friday, Northeast 3rd Avenue in Gainesville was co-named Magnolia B. Jackson Street in her honor.
Jackson spent over 40 years as a teacher and principal in Alachua County at historically Black institutions. She graduated from Lincoln High School in 1936, which was then the only public high school in Alachua County that Black students were allowed to attend.
She matriculated to Bethune-Cookman College, now Bethune-Cookman University, and earned a bachelor of science in education. Jackson was its oldest living alumna until her passing.
Evy Edwards Evans, another of Jackson’s greatnieces, became Jackson’s official caregiver when she turned 98.
“She was just really an asset to the community from an educational standpoint. She encouraged all of her nieces and nephews, all the kids that she mentored or tutored, to secure higher education,” Evans said.
Tonya Edwards described Jackson as funny, smart, witty and decisive.
“She was very much a leader, even to the very end,” she said.
In the home’s backyard, Jackson’s family built her a garden to nurture her love of flowers. Edwards said neighbors and community members brought flowers to plant, and there is even a magnolia tree. Jackson had a “vast knowledge” of how to take care of the plants and would tell her family what to do.
Before Friday, Jackson’s mark on the community was intangible, reflected in the education of countless Black students. Now the street sign serves as a physical reminder of Jackson’s contributions to the community.
Mayor Harvey Ward said in his speech that one day children would see the sign and ask, “Who is Magnolia Jackson?”
It will be up to the community to tell her story, Ward said.
To get the street co-named, Jackson’s family had to get 300 signatures. But Evans said it was “no mission.”
“The neighborhood absolutely loved her,” Evans said. “They know the contribution that she has had to the community.”
Jackson’s nephew, Bobby Nelson, 86, believes that she would be proud of having this street named after her.
“This is a give-and-take world, so she has given already, she’s served her community,” he said. “And so this is a way of letting her know that we thank her for what she has done, for her contribution.”
Nelson also hopes the street naming will create a ripple effect across other communities, and show them the impact that Jackson had on education.
Not only does the city now honor Jackson with the new street name, but it also recognizes March 14, her birthday, as Magnolia B. Jackson Day.