EXCAVATING ERASURE:
Jefferson Davis Jackson
ALABAMA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
Very few have had as deep a commitment to Smith Hall as Jefferson Davis Jackson. With a career spanning 67 years, few spaces within the Alabama Museum of Natural History would not have felt his presence. You cannot tell the story of one without the other.
Due to the period and attitudes toward systemically marginalized groups, not much is known about Jackson’s life. Instead, Jackson became a footnote in the legacy of Eugene Allen Smith. The son of a freedman, Jackson played a pivotal role in creating Alabama's geologic map, which would aid the state in its recovery from the Civil War. His steady handwriting has been attributed to some of the surviving sample vials, bottles, and exhibit labels.
Representation Matters
For decades, all that was known about Jefferson Davis Jackson was a name and one photograph. After two and a half years, the Museum uncovered that Jackson completed the work of archaeologists, paleontologists, geologists, and curators. However, due to the period and climate, he was never afforded those titles due to the color of his skin.
The wagon, pictured on the left, is now on full display along with the Excavating Erasure exhibition.
The wagon, pictured on the left, is now on full display along with the Excavating Erasure exhibition.
"Art has the power to hold history in its grasp, ensuring that what was once overlooked now stands boldly in full view."
Jefferson Davis Jackson has left as lasting an impact on Smith Hall, the Alabama Museum of Natural History, and the field of science as the men who have buildings named for them. Now, he is receiving his flowers and sharing equal space with Eugene Allen Smith.
From Jim Crow to Integration
In 1956, Jefferson Davis Jackson finally received recognition for his 66+ years of service to the University. However, this was a hard-fought victory. Members of the community wrote an opinion column for the Montgomery Advertiser on how Jackson had worked for decades without taking a vacation or being recognized.
Photo of rioters outside of the Alabama Museum of Natural History.
Photo of rioters outside of the Alabama Museum of Natural History.
A few months prior, The University of Alabama had unsuccessfully attempted integration in the very building where Jackson worked. From within the walls of Smith Hall, Jackson would have heard the chants and slurs aimed at Autherine Lucy. He would have seen the rocks being thrown at the building and the cars. Would he have crossed paths with her on that fateful day in February?
Meanwhile, less than 100 miles away, Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and 87 others were indicted for their involvement in the Montgomery Bus Boycott that same month. Choosing to write to the Montgomery Advertiser instead of other local papers was intentional and well thought out. In spite of the racial tensions, the editorial sparked the University to act.
Jefferson Davis Jackson shares a cigar with Dr. Walter B. Jones to celebrate his retirement.
Jefferson Davis Jackson shares a cigar with Dr. Walter B. Jones to celebrate his retirement.
By September, Jackson was awarded three months' vacation without pay for his service.
A Portrait of Presence
In addition to the Museum's permanent exhibit on Jefferson Davis Jackson's contributions, we wanted a portrait of him that would be displayed in the same manner as the men who employed him. Specifically wanting to work with a local Black artist, the Museum reached out to John "Jahni" Moore, who specializes in paintings made using red clay.
"This red earth, terra rosa, is baptized in the essence of those gone before. Rich with the blood of ancestral outpouring. This red hued clay, bound together with sweat and tears stretches out to form the foundation of our rising. She is the bedrock of our going forth."
Artist Jahni Moore sampling soil from near the former enslaved quarters by The University of Alabama's Gorgas House.
Artist Jahni Moore sampling soil from near the former enslaved quarters by The University of Alabama's Gorgas House.
Jahni Moore took soil samples from near the former location of The University of Alabama's enslaved quarters and water from the Black Warrior River to create this portrait. Another unique feature of the work is the use of a handmade exhibit case as the frame. The Museum believes that the case was more than likely created by Jackson himself.
The sampling of soil mirrored one of the very duties Jefferson Davis Jackson had over a century ago. The Black Warrior River was also the same river that Jackson would have commanded a boat down during these excursions. Knowing that his parents were enslaved in the area, this would also be the very same river his ancestors would have travelled before being sold.
This portrait stands in stark defiance of such erasure. The red clay from which it is formed is rich with the iron will of our ancestors’ blood, charged with memory, and inscribed with resilience. It is a reminder that the land holds truth, that history cannot be rewritten by those who wish to forget, and that justice demands recognition—not just for the figures immortalized in marble and stone, but for the uncharted hands that built, the voices that were silenced, and the legacies that still shape us. This work is more than a memorial; it is a living archive.
- Artist, John "Jahni" Moore
...He Calls Me by the Thunder!
"Art has the power to hold history in its grasp, ensuring that what was once overlooked now stands boldly in full view. The red clay and river water are more than materials; they are metaphors for endurance, transformation, and the deep connection between land and legacy. The materials themselves carry the weight of history, and, through art, become a vessel for truth. Just as the Warrior River has carved its path through time, so too does this portrait carve out space for recognition and truth. Every step to bring this to pass was on purpose with purpose. From the seed planted in the receptive mind of Madeline Burkhardt, her diligent research, to her crafting the letter to me - an artist who understands the red clay blood connection. It is an endeavor for such a time as this."
From Erasure to Prominance
At the opening of the exhibit, the Museum hosted Jackson's home church and members of the community. With nearly 90 attendees, more than any other opening in Museum history, Jackson's story was finally being heard.
During the opening reception, the Museum was honored to serve Jefferson Davis Jackson's barbecue sauce recipe that has been passed down through generations.
During the opening reception, the Museum was honored to serve Jefferson Davis Jackson's barbecue sauce recipe that has been passed down through generations.
"This work is a call to the future. It challenges the next generation to see themselves in history, to acknowledge their power in shaping what is to come, and to refuse the silence that allows erasure to persist. It is a reminder that we must be the stewards of our own narratives, ensuring that figures like J. D. Jackson are no longer hidden in the margins but are central to the story of progress."
In honoring this pillar of resilience, Jefferson Davis Jackson, we hold space for all others who history failed to acknowledge. This is not just a portrait; it is a presence, an unearthing, a declaration that we were here, we are here, and we will not be erased. May this work stand as both testimony and challenge to the people of Alabama, to this nation, and the future. Let us commit to seeing the unseen, speaking the unspoken, and remembering what was meant to be forgotten.
- Artist, John "Jahni" Moore
