Join us on May 14, 2026 for the in-person community gathering and panel discussion with Q&A: Marvel Jackson Cooke, A Life in Journalism.

Doors open at 4:30pm CST. Light meal served.

Reconnect with neighbors, family, and friends for a special evening of conversation and reflection.

Location: Prospect Park United Methodist Church - Community Room

If you’d like, you can read the following materials prior to the event:

1: Interview with Marvel Cooke, recorded by The Washington Press Club Foundation oral history project: Interview 1: November 3, 1989

2. The Slave Market by Ella Baker and Marvel Cooke, NAACP

3: The Bronx Slave Market, 1950 by Marvel Cooke, Viewpoint Magazine

Additional reading:

All Interviews with Marvel Cooke, recorded by The Washington Press Club Foundation

Announcing Jackson Family Day 2026, a celebration of legacy, learning, and community at Pratt Community School on May 15, 2026.

This annual event brings students and staff together to explore the powerful story of the Jackson family - Prospect Park’s first Black residents - through art projects, storytelling, and conversations with Jackson family descendants.

Established as an official city-wide day of recognition in 2024, Jackson Family Day invites our school community to reflect on themes of race, resilience, and neighborhood history in meaningful, age-appropriate ways.

Through creative expression and shared dialogue, students are encouraged to connect the past to the present - and imagine a more inclusive future.

Please note, the event is open to school community only.