Co-authors Grover Jackson, Mary Fullard, and E. Christine Jackson recently announced they were offering an exclusive free copy of the multimedia digital presentation “Back to Kenya” for those who visit their site and request access. In addition, those who purchase a copy of the memoir “A Journey” directly from the authors’ website will receive a free autograph with each book. The co-authors are also hosting a virtual book signing and discussion related to “A Journey” on June 6th and July 22nd, via Brightside Global Journal. Additional details will be made available via the Jacksons Book Journey website.
“A Journey” – A Multimedia Tale of American Black History Told by Those Who Lived It
Chronicling the lives of 14 siblings raised by poor but loving sharecropper parents who were directly descended from slaves, “A Journey” begins as a biography set in the mid-1800s, recounting early days of hard work in a country filled with ever-present, white-supremacist dangers. Working through the perpetual fog of history and the deliberate erasure of Black stories, the authors managed to pull together facts, oral tales, and family legends to weave the origins of a strong, determined family who refused to be broken by circumstance or hard times.
“Back to Kenya” is a multimedia presentation that includes written background details and personal stories from co-author Grover and his Kenya traveling companions related to his transformative journey to the African country as a Peace Corps volunteer. “Back to Kenya” uses both video and still pictures of Kenya today – specifically focusing on the Nakuru area where Grover worked and lived during his days as a Black American abroad. Grover’s first Kenya visit is explored briefly in “A Journey,” but “Back to Kenya” expands on the trip, including a comprehensive retrospective study, offering pictures and videos of places as they existed then, and how they appear today. Link to the ‘Back to Kenya’ video presentation: BACK TO KENYA #1 1 – YouTube
About the Co-Authors of “A Journey”
- Mary F. Fullard: After getting married and starting a family, Mary enrolled in college, eventually graduating with magna cum laude honors from Glassboro State College (Rowan University) with a degree in education. Spending 35 years of managing, training, and providing resources for childcare professionals, parents, early childhood and public-school teachers, Mary is now retired. Always curious about genealogy and her family history in particular, Mary’s curiosity and deep motivation saved a great deal of the Jackson family history through her extensive family interviews and online research.
- E. Christine Jackson: An economics and finance undergraduate from Douglass College, with an M.B.A. in Finance and Business Management from Widener University, E. Chris spent a long fruitful career of 33-years working for the Verizon family of telecommunications companies before retiring. Initially a skeptical and reluctant participant, E. Chris later became an enthusiastic co-author of “A Journey” after realizing the importance of the work for future generations of the Jackson family and to Black History in general. A fastidious editor, E. Chris edited the entire volume while also writing chapters 18 “We Commemorate” and 19, “The Siblings’ Legacies.”
- Grover Jackson: A well-traveled businessman, Grover initially earned his Bachelor’s in Economics from Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) in Charlotte before volunteering and serving two years as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Kenya – the subject of the presentation “Back to Kenya.” After returning to the U.S., Grover earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Atlanta University (Clark Atlanta) and went on to a distinguished career that included Wall Street, banking, adjunct teaching, financial planner, and a long tenure at I.B.M. Now retired, Grover believes in a life of service and is an accomplished missionary, volunteers with multiple not-for-profit organizations, Georgia’s Special Olympic volunteer softball coach, and supports the work with missions and missionaries across the globe. He also served as a deacon for Glendale Missionary Church in Miami, Florida, and was the first Black deacon at the First Baptist Church in Atlanta (FBAC), where he still serves his community as a trusted advisor and friend. Grover was also recently elected treasurer of JCSU NAA.
“A Journey” is available as a hardcover or e-book purchase through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Kobo.com, or the authors’ website. Learn more: www.JacksonsBookJourney.com.
