ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
26-12
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
February 4, 2025
To recognize and honor Dr. Maurice Jackson for his outstanding contributions to scholarship,
music, and public service in the District of Columbia and beyond, and for his lifelong
dedication to preserving and amplifying the history and cultural legacy of Black
Washingtonians.
WHEREAS, Dr. Maurice Jackson is a tenured professor in the History Department at
Georgetown University and an associate professor in the Black Studies and Music Departments,
with a particular focus on jazz;
WHEREAS, before entering academia, Dr. Jackson worked as a longshoreman, shipyard
rigger, construction worker, and community organizer, experiences that deeply informed his
scholarship and commitment to social justice;
WHEREAS,
Dr. Jackson is the author of Rhythms of Resistance and Resilience: How
Black Washingtonians Used Music and Sports in the Fight for Equality (2025), Let This Voice Be
Heard: Anthony Benezet, Father of Atlantic Abolitionism, and co- editor of DC Jazz: Stories of
Jazz Music in Washington, DC, African-Americans and the Haitian Revolution, and Quakers and
Their Allies in the Abolitionist Cause, 1754- 1808;
WHEREAS, Dr. Jackson has contributed extensively to historical scholarship through
numerous articles, including “Washington, D.C.: From the Founding of a Slaveholding Capital to
a Center of Abolitionism,” and has co-edited a special issue on jazz in Washington, D.C. for
Washington History;
WHEREAS, Dr. Jackson has made significant contributions to jazz history, writing liner
notes for albums by Charlie Haden and Hank Jones, including Steal Away: Spirituals, Folk
Songs, and Hymns and Come Sunday;
WHEREAS, Dr. Jackson has shared his expertise internationally, delivering lectures in
France, the Dominican Republic, Turkey, Egypt, Italy, Puerto Rico, and Qatar;
WHEREAS, Dr. Jackson has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to civic
engagement, serving as the first Chair of the DC Commission on African American Affairs ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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(2013–2016), a member of the Georgetown University Slavery Working Group, and Special
Assistant for DC Affairs to Georgetown University President Jack DeGioia;
WHEREAS, Dr. Jackson has been recognized for his public service, including induction
into the Washington, D.C. Hall of Fame in 2009, and has presented critical analyses on African
American employment, population, and housing trends to DC government;
WHEREAS, Dr. Jackson has preserved and shared vital historical materials by donating a
3,000- item movement pamphlet collection to Georgetown University, archives on the 1919 and
1968 Washington, D.C. riots, and a 300- item Black pamphlet collection to the Smithsonian
National Museum of African American History and Culture; rare Cuban jazz records to the Felix
Grant Jazz Archives at the University of the District of Columbia; and materials to the African
American Civil Rights Museum and the Rosenwald School Library in Gloucester, Virginia;
WHEREAS, Dr. Jackson’s forthcoming works, Halfway to Freedom: The Struggles and
Strivings of African Americans in Washington, D.C. and Michael Shiner: A Black Man in a 19th
Century White City: Washington, DC, will further illuminate the rich history of Black
Washingtonians and their fight for equality; and
WHEREAS,
Dr. Jackson is not only an esteemed scholar and historian but also a devoted
husband to Laura Ginsburg and a proud father to Lena, a graduate of Georgetown University and
the National Cathedral School for Girls, and Miles, a graduate of the University of Michigan and
St. Albans School for Boys.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,
That this
resolution may be cited as the “Dr. Maurice Jackson Recognition Resolution of 2025” .
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes and honors Dr. Maurice
Jackson for his extraordinary contributions to history, music, and public service, his dedication to
preserving Black history in Washington, D.C., and his lifelong commitment to scholarship and
community engagement.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately.