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Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. 2
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Councilmember C harles Allen Councilmember B rianne K. Nadeau 6
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Councilmember
Janeese Lewis George Councilmember Brooke Pinto 10
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Councilmember Zachary Parker Councilmember Christina Henderson
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A CEREMONIAL 19
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 22
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To recognize and honor Dr. Maurice Jackson for his outstanding contributions to scholarship, 27
music, and public service in the District of Columbia and beyond, and for his lifelong 28
dedication to preserving and amplifying the history and cultural legacy of Black 29
Washingtonians. 30
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WHEREAS, Dr. Maurice Jackson is a tenured professor in the History Department at 32
Georgetown University and an associate professor in the Black Studies and Music Departments, 33
with a particular focus on jazz; 34
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WHEREAS, before entering academia, Dr. Jackson worked as a longshoreman, shipyard 36
rigger, construction worker, and community organizer, experiences that deeply informed his 37
scholarship and commitment to social justice; 38
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WHEREAS, Dr. Jackson is the author of Rhythms of Resistance and Resilience: How 40
Black Washingtonians Used Music and Sports in the Fight for Equality (2025), Let This Voice Be 41
Heard: Anthony Benezet, Father of Atlantic Abolitionism, and co- editor of DC Jazz: Stories of 42
Jazz Music in Washington, DC, African-Americans and the Haitian Revolution, and Quakers and 43
Their Allies in the Abolitionist Cause, 1754- 1808; 44
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WHEREAS, Dr. Jackson has contributed extensively to historical scholarship through 46
numerous articles, including “Washington, D.C.: From the Founding of a Slaveholding Capital to 47 a Center of Abolitionism,” and has co-edited a special issue on jazz in Washington, D.C. for 48
Washington History; 49
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WHEREAS, Dr. Jackson has made significant contributions to jazz history, writing liner 51
notes for albums by Charlie Haden and Hank Jones, including Steal Away: Spirituals, Folk 52
Songs, and Hymns and Come Sunday; 53
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WHEREAS, Dr. Jackson has shared his expertise internationally, delivering lectures in 55
France, the Dominican Republic, Turkey, Egypt, Italy, Puerto Rico, and Qatar; 56
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WHEREAS, Dr. Jackson has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to civic 58
engagement, serving as the first Chair of the DC Commission on African American Affairs 59
(2013–2016), a member of the Georgetown University Slavery Working Group, and Special 60
Assistant for DC Affairs to Georgetown University President Jack DeGioia; 61
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WHEREAS, Dr. Jackson has been recognized for his public service, including induction 63
into the Washington, D.C. Hall of Fame in 2009, and has presented critical analyses on African 64
American employment, population, and housing trends to DC government; 65
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WHEREAS, Dr. Jackson has preserved and shared vital historical materials by donating a 67
3,000- item movement pamphlet collection to Georgetown University, archives on the 1919 and 68
1968 Washington, D.C. riots, and a 300- item Black pamphlet collection to the Smithsonian 69
National Museum of African American History and Culture; rare Cuban jazz records to the Felix 70
Grant Jazz Archives at the University of the District of Columbia; and materials to the African 71
American Civil Rights Museum and the Rosenwald School Library in Gloucester, Virginia; 72
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WHEREAS, Dr. Jackson’s forthcoming works, Halfway to Freedom: The Struggles and 74
Strivings of African Americans in Washington, D.C. and Michael Shiner: A Black Man in a 19th 75
Century White City: Washington, DC, will further illuminate the rich history of Black 76
Washingtonians and their fight for equality; and 77
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WHEREAS, Dr. Jackson is not only an esteemed scholar and historian but also a devoted 79
husband to Laura Ginsburg and a proud father to Lena, a graduate of Georgetown University and 80
the National Cathedral School for Girls, and Miles, a graduate of the University of Michigan and 81
St. Albans School for Boys. 82
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RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 84
resolution may be cited as the “Dr. Maurice Jackson Recognition Resolution of 2025” . 85
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Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes and honors Dr. Maurice 87
Jackson for his extraordinary contributions to history, music, and public service, his dedication to 88
preserving Black history in Washington, D.C., and his lifelong commitment to scholarship and 89
community engagement. 90
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Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in 92
the District of Columbia Register. 93