Patricia "Pat" Jackson

"The loyalty and the faith of the congregation at our local church. We are loyal to CME. We know our history and our roots. We know what the expectations are, and we hold ourselves accountable to our connection. We’ve always paid our financial obligations, and we pay them on time. That stems from the dedication of our foremothers and fathers, that gave their everything to this church and its connection. Even when they didn’t have, the Lord provided, so they were always able to take care of what they needed."

This interview is part of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center’s ongoing efforts to document the rich history of local churches and their role in the community. Mrs. Patricia “Pat” Jackson reflects on her experiences and the historical development of St. Joseph’s CME Church, tracing its roots back to the 1940s and even earlier. She discusses the church’s original congregation at Cotton Chapel and the events that led to its destruction by fire, prompting the eventual construction of St. Joseph’s. Jackson provides a detailed account of church archives, the significance of its garments, and the registry of ministers, starting in 1932 with Reverend Joseph S. Miller. Jackson highlights key figures in the church’s history, such as Kennon Cheek, who mortgaged his home to fund the construction of St. Joseph’s, and the roles of various other members in maintaining the church’s spiritual and financial well-being. She also delves into the global connections of the CME Church, particularly its ties to regions in New York, Washington D.C., and Africa. The interview closes with a reflection on the church’s commitment to education and its relationship with Duke Divinity School.

“All the sermons that you are hearing, preaching, you are seeing God at work through the elders. Not until then, did you realize that was the relationship with the Lord. You had to give an account to God that he set you up and kept you safe and now I need to get your attention. He got my attention. Prior to that, I did not do the actual study.”

- Patricia "Pat" Jackson

Mrs. Pat Jackson talks about her time attending Lincoln High School, focusing on the marching band and the football team. She talks about her mother-in-law, Mrs. Marian Cheek Jackson, as a mother figure and how she valued education and family. Mrs. Pat also discusses Mrs. Jackson as a mother and her childhood, and what was most important in her life. She talks about community and the different roles within her family that shaped her life as she grew up. Mrs. Pat emphasized the importance of football games and how big of a deal it was in the community. She also talks about how church and her involvement in church shaped her faith and her involvement in the community. Lastly, she talks about the B1 Navy Band coming to Chapel Hill and how she was shocked by the treatment of African Americans in Chapel Hill and at UNC.

Patricia “Pat” Jackson is the daughter-in-law of Mrs. Marian Cheek Jackson, the namesake of the Jackson Center. She brings with her to her interview several clippings from various newspapers, some of which include the first articles her daughter wrote in her journalism career or articles about Chapel Hill’s Black owned business center. These newspaper clippings hold significance in Mrs. Jackson’s personal history as well as the broad history of Chapel Hill. Mrs. Jackson recounts the desegregation of the local high schools; she recalls a sense of pride and determination as one of the first generations of Black students to attend formerly all-white Chapel Hill High School. She also discusses the significance of church in the community, and the Harrison family whose approach to church allowed for the expansion of fellowship. Ms. Jackson herself was raised by the community’s various churches, attending youth programming such as Vacation Bible School, and reflects now upon the importance of youth in the church community in order to keep faith alive.

This interview is part of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center’s Life History Series. Pat Jackson was born and raised in Chapel Hill North Carolina. She is a current member of St. Joseph Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in Chapel Hill. She serves as a stewardess and motherly figure within the site and aids the Reverend Troy Harrison in his operations. Jackson grew up attending Nevil’s Chapel with her mother and then as time progressed she gravitated with some of her classmates to First Baptist for her baptism and then ultimately to St. Josephs where she has spent all of her time since. During the Civil Rights Movement, Jackson served as an activist within the Chapel Hill community and participated in many marches and protests with a faithful sense of purpose in mind. She shares the importance of women in their church and in the broader community and how active participation in service to the community encourages members to join the Church family and give back. She ponders why society and historical principles encourage a separation of genders that has transcended into religion and offers cultural backgrounds to be at fault. Jackson strives to promote equality in service to the Lord and she lives out that belief in her daily work.

Patricia Jackson grew up in Chapel Hill, NC and has been a member of St. Joseph CME Church for over forty years.  She now works with Wake County Schools and is also a church secretary, a stewardess, and a community activist.  This interview was done as part of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center for Saving and Making History’s life histories of local leaders. She recounts memories of grandparents, especially maternal grandmother. She comes from family of caretakers; lineage of family; church experience growing up—she changed from First Baptist to St. Joseph CME. She shares her experiences with visiting UNC’s campus, the Civil Right’s demonstrations in the 60’s and sit-ins at local drugstore. She goes on to speak about how she recalls Carolina Theatre, and Carolina Coffee Shop. She includes a memory of march ending with fire hoses and reflections on Hargraves and St. Joseph as community centers. Her community mentors were Mr. Hargraves and Howard Lee. The interview includes her experiences of pride at Lincoln High, integration of schools and importance of women figures in her life, especially in family and at church. This flows into how she builds a connection between church and residential “Pottersfield” community. She reflects on social justice at St. Joseph and the importance of Methodist theology and gender roles in church. She shares her journey of becoming a secretary and stewardess and campaigning for Howard Lee during 1968 Mayoral Election. She recounts her experience of raising her first child while finishing school. She begins to conclude the interview with her life in Spokane, Washington in the 70’s; moving back to Chapel Hill; continued influence of “independent, strong-willed” women in her life, especially her sister Gladys Pendergraph and her mother in law, Marian Cheek Jackson. She continues to share her experiences of raising children, memories of her father, the importance of family, physical locations around Chapel Hill in the 1960’s, Hargraves as true community center, and finally, how the mission of St. Joseph CME and connection to her life.  

Ms. Pat Jackson gives an overview of her involvement in the organizations within St.
Joseph’s CME, starting from when she was a child. This is followed by a discussion of the
various power dynamic that occur between women in the church, and how to overcome any
challenges that can arise from these situations. To finish it off, Ms. Pat Jackson gives beautiful
words of encouragement to young women growing up in the church.

Patricia Jackson: ...walk from this church and remember growing up as little kids we could walk from here and go to Big John’s pharmacy, which was just on the corner there of Franklin Street. But when segregation time came and when the students, and the white people that were in charge, now we couldn’t go there. So, every time we went, you could go by there--

Carolyn Briggs: You couldn’t go eat.

PJ: --but you couldn’t sit down. “What do you mean we can’t sit down? We sat down before.” So, we went in and sat down, and you know what happened to us? They called the fire- they called the police from Chapel Hill, and they came down, hooked their hoses, and hosed us out of the place.

Della Pollock: Inside?

PJ: We were kids- yeah- we were ten and eleven years old being water hosed. Yeah, we were inside and were told to get out but we decided that we weren’t going to get out. So, they said, “Oh yeah, you’re getting out,” turned the hoses on us and hosed. That’s why I wanted Carolyn to stay, she and I were together when that happened to us.

DP: Oh really?

PJ: Oh yeah, horrible.

DP: So, what actually happened to you?

PJ: By the time we got hosed, now we’re so humiliated that time but then too, we’re twelve and thirteen, so it’s kind of funny, so you kind of brush it off and get up and run home, you know, and tell what happened to you. And then, you know, your mother is saying- okay now your mother who’s still coming from the era of well this is still the university, some place that they you know lawed and magnify, you know- “What were you doing?” So, we got a beating for being down there. You know, ah just, you know so---