Giles B. Jackson
Photo Credit: Encyclopedia Virginia
About Richmond's Honorary Street Name Designations
Honorary street names can be found throughout Richmond, and are intended to memorialize individuals for their civic, cultural, humanitarian, or historically significant contributions to the Richmond Community. These designations typically apply to a portion of a street, such as a city block, and are designated by Richmond City Council via the passing of an Ordinance. Honorary street names do not replace the existing name of a street and do not require an alteration to maps or addresses.
Giles B. Jackson
Born enslaved on September 10, 1853, in Goochland County, Virginia, Giles Beecher Jackson would go on to become an attorney, entrepreneur, real estate developer, newspaper publisher, and civil rights activist, emulating the example of his mentor, Booker T. Washington.
Over his lifetime, Giles B. Jackson earned many accomplishments and honors, notably becoming the first African American attorney certified to practice law before the Virginia Supreme Court in 1897. In 1900, Mr. Jackson was appointed as vice-president of the National Negro Business League by Booker T. Washington. The following year, Mr. Jackson was commissioned as an honorary colonel by President Theodore Roosevelt, and for the president’s second inauguration, Jackson commanded the Third Civic Division, a Black cavalry unit.
With an endorsement from President Roosevelt, Giles B. Jackson organized the Negro Development and Exposition Company of the United States of America which organized the Negro Building — a collection of exhibitions by and about African Americans — at the Jamestown Ter-Centennial Exposition, which attracted 3 million visitors in 1907. The following year, Mr. Jackson published The Industrial History of the Negro Race of the United States, providing an account of the exhibition, as well as a history of African American achievements in business and the arts.
During World War I, Giles B. Jackson was appointed as chief of the Negro Division of the United States Employment Service, a post he held until 1919. Following this, Mr. Jackson spent the last 4 years of his life lobbying Congress to address interracial labor problems and the working condition of African Americans. He died on August 13, 1924, and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in the city of Richmond.
Designation Area:
The 200 block of East Clay Street has been given the honorary designation of Giles B. Jackson Walk.
Download the Council Ordinance:
Learn more about this Honorary Street Designation by downloading a copy of the legislation. The Council Ordinance below is in PDF format:
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