Dr. Shirley A. Jackson is a professor in the Sociology Department at Portland State University. Her courses challenge students to think critically, improve their writing skills, and prepare for future educational and career opportunities. She has successfully mentored graduate and undergraduate students who have gone on to masters, doctoral, and professional programs and careers in non-profits, criminal justice, and more.
Dr. Jackson attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she received her doctorate in sociology with specializations in race, social movements, and gender, teaching courses in Sociology and Black Studies. She began her career in the Ethnic Studies Department at Bowling Green State University. She taught in the Department of Sociology at Southern Connecticut State University, where she served as the department chair and then as the graduate coordinator. She created the university's minor in Ethnic Studies. She began at Portland State University in January 2016 as chair of the Black Studies Department.
Dr. Jackson is very active in professional sociology organizations. She is the Chair of the American Sociological Association’s (ASA) Section on Sociological Practice and Public Sociology and serves on the ASA’s Publications Committee. In 2022-23, she served concurrently as President of the Pacific Sociological Association (PSA) and the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP). She was the inaugural recipient of the Society for the Study of Social Problems' Doris Wilkinson Faculty Leadership Award in 2016. Dr. Jackson is an experienced program reviewer with the ASA's Program Reviewers and Consultants group. She has also served on numerous committees and in roles in the ASA, SSSP, Eastern Sociological Society, Association of Black Sociologists, and PSA.
Dr. Jackson served on the State of Oregon’s Ethnic Studies Advisory Committee that developed ethnic studies standards for Oregon’s K-12 schools. She is the editor of The Handbook of Race, Class, and Gender (Routledge/Taylor & Francis, 2014) and co-editor of Caged Women: Incarceration, Representation, and Media (Routledge/Taylor & Francis, 2018). Her most recent project examines the intersection of gender, race, and space, with a primary focus on the experiences of African Americans in predominantly white-dominated spheres. As a public sociologist, Dr. Jackson has given numerous talks and appeared on television, radio, and in local, national, and global print media, discussing issues related to BLM protests, social movements, Black women, racism, and social inequality. Dr. Jackson has also served as an expert witness for state and federal defense attorneys and prosecutors and has served in an advisory capacity with the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.
She enjoys crossword puzzles, novels by Stephen King, Alfred Hitchcock films, and outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking, and archery. Dr. Jackson loves traveling and lists Turkey, Cuba, and Costa Rica among her favorite countries.