Anthony Jerald Jackson
Education
- Ph.D. Sociology - Howard University, Washington, D.C., 2021 Specializations: Social Inequality & Criminology
- M.A. Sociology - Howard University, Washington, D.C., 2017
- B.A. Sociology - Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA, 2015
Areas of Expertise/Research Interests
Capitalist Class Exploitation
Dr. Jackson’s research critically examines the systemic mechanisms through which capitalist structures exploit working-class people, with particular attention to the intersections of race and class. His work seeks to uncover how capitalism perpetuates inequality through economic exploitation, especially among marginalized and racialized communities.
Racial Oppression & State Violence
He explores the pervasive impact of racial oppression and the central role of state violence in sustaining systems of control and subjugation. This includes both historical and contemporary analyses of state-sponsored violence targeting Black individuals and communities. His scholarship also interrogates how these forces are connected to the rise of fascism—through authoritarian governance, political repression, and criminalization of dissent—as tools to suppress resistance and maintain capitalist and white supremacist order.
Revolutionary Education, Black Liberation, and Social Change
At the core of Dr. Jackson’s work is an inquiry into how oppressed and exploited communities develop critical consciousness and engage in transformative social change. He is particularly interested in the role of revolutionary education as a catalyst for awakening, organizing, and mobilizing toward Black liberation and broader movements for justice.
Consciousness, Vision, & Strategy (A Research Methodology & Mantra for Movement Building)
Dr. Jackson employs a research methodology rooted in consciousness, vision, and strategy—three pillars essential to understanding exploitation, oppression, and organizing for liberation. This framework links analysis to action, helping communities interpret their conditions, imagine a just future, and engage in collective struggle to transform society. It serves as both a lens for scholarly inquiry and a tool for movement building.
Biography
Roots and Educational Journey
Dr. Anthony J. Jackson was born in Durham, North Carolina, and raised in Richmond, Virginia. A proud product of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), his academic and intellectual foundation was cultivated entirely within institutions committed to Black power, liberation, and cultural affirmation. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, with a minor in Philosophy, from Virginia State University in 2015. He went on to pursue graduate study at Howard University, where he received his Master of Arts in Sociology in 2017 and his Ph.D. in Sociology in 2021, becoming a Doctor of Philosophy at just 28 years old. This achievement places him among the roughly 2% of the U.S. population who hold a Ph.D., within an even smaller fraction—less than 0.5%—of Black men nationwide, and among a rare few who reach this milestone before the age of 30.
Academic Appointments and Teaching
Dr. Anthony J. Jackson is a scholar-activist and revolutionary educator committed to the liberation of oppressed communities. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Human Services at Bowie State University (BSU). In addition to his full-time faculty role at BSU, Dr. Jackson is an Adjunct Professor at Howard University, where he teaches both undergraduate and graduate students in courses such as Social Problems and Sociology of Poverty.
Leadership in Prison Education
Dr. Jackson also serves as the Director of Operations for the Bowie State University Prison Education Program (BPEP), one of the most ambitious and transformative prison education initiatives at a Historically Black College or University. Bowie State University is the first and only HBCU in the state of Maryland to offer a postsecondary degree to incarcerated individuals. In this role, Dr. Jackson oversees operations, develops curriculum, and teaches courses inside Jessup Correctional Institution such as Sociological Theory and The Miseducation of Black Folks & the Significance of the HBCU. His leadership ensures continuity of care from incarceration to college campus for justice-impacted students. Dr. Jackson is the founding Chair of the HBCU Prison Education Summit, a national convening focused on expanding the role of Black colleges in carceral education by bringing together HBCUs, correctional institutions, reentry organizations, and policymakers.
Scholarly Focus and Emancipatory Praxis
Dr. Jackson’s teaching and research are grounded in the philosophical, theoretical, and methodological principles of emancipatory sociology. His scholarship critically examines systems of capitalist exploitation, racial oppression, and state violence—especially as they affect Black and working-class communities. His praxis extends beyond the classroom into communities and correctional institutions, where he is actively building educational pipelines rooted in justice, consciousness raising, and self-determination. His graduate-level course on Sociology of Poverty at Howard University was recently selected as a required cognate for the Wallace Foundation Equity-Centered Pipeline Initiative in the School of Education, in partnership with DC Public Schools. This integration highlights the relevance of Dr. Jackson’s work in shaping anti-racist, equity-minded educational leadership.
Curriculum Development and Faculty Governance
Dr. Jackson has experience serving on the Department Curriculum Committee and the University Curriculum Committee, where he helped evaluate course proposals, recommend new academic programs, and strengthen the overall curriculum in alignment with institutional priorities. He also served as Program Coordinator for the Sociology Program at Bowie State, as Faculty Senate Representative, as well as the Chapter Representative for Alpha Kappa Delta—the International Honor Society for Sociology—and the Founding Advisor for the Sociology Club at BSU. This work reflects Dr. Jackson’s commitment to building collective power within the university—amplifying student leadership, advancing the discipline of sociology, and ensuring faculty and students play an active role in shaping the institution.
Institutional and Regional Engagement
Regionally, he serves as an At-Large Officer on the Executive Committee of the District of Columbia Sociological Society (DCSS) and sits on the Reentry Advisory Council for Prince George’s County. As a former fellow with BSU’s Institute for Restorative Justice and Practices, he has helped shape restorative and culturally responsive approaches to pedagogy. These roles reflect Dr. Jackson’s broader commitment to connecting academic work with community needs—especially around reentry, education, and justice—and to building coalitions that advance structural change beyond the classroom.
Publications and Revolutionary Framework
Dr. Jackson’s publications include “Woke: Revolutionary Education for Transformation and Liberation” in The Oxford Handbook of Sociology for Social Justice and “The Path to the Future: Class-Consciousness, Vision, and Strategy” in the International Review of Modern Sociology. At the heart of his work is a methodological framework he calls “Consciousness, Vision, and Strategy,” designed to support grassroots movement building and revolutionary education. Through this lens, Dr. Jackson bridges scholarship and struggle, advancing a vision of collective liberation.
Memberships & Affiliations
- Association of Black Sociologists
- American Sociological Association
- Society for the Study of Social Problems
- Southern Sociological Society