Departmental Spotlight: Roderick Jackson
Source: https://africam.berkeley.edu/news/departmental-spotlight-roderick-jackson Parent: https://africam.berkeley.edu/
Roderick Jackson, doctoral student in African Diaspora Studies.
February 4, 2026
Our February 2026 Departmental Spotlight features Roderick Jackson, a Ph.D. student in African Diaspora Studies, interviewed by graduate student Endria Richardson.
Tell me about your work. What do you care about in the world, and how did you come to care about it?
My doctoral research examines the intersections of race, class, gender, and peri-urban space by interrogating the value of Black male labor in post-industrial Northwest Indiana. Focusing largely on Gary, Indiana—the former steel capital of the United States—I investigate how Black working-class men cultivate communities of care in competitive, hyper-masculine spaces marked by socioeconomic marginalization in the wake of the 2008 Great Recession.
I care about the “have-nots," those who have been socially and economically marginalized or left behind by contemporary society. And most importantly, I care about the plight of African descended peoples both within the continent and abroad.
I believe the trajectory of my life and personal experiences has led me to identify closely with those who have experienced similar forms of oppression, regardless of background. In short, I love seeing people who have been historically marginalized, especially Black people, “winning,” whatever that looks like for them.
Where do you come from? Is there a place that feels like home?
I am a proud second-generation Black Chicagolander, originally from the South Side of Chicago, although I have also lived in the largely Black South Suburbs of the city. I have also had the privilege of living in multiple cities across the country. I have spent time in the South, lived in New England, and on the West Coast, in both Southern California and in the Bay Area. Nothing feels quite like Chicago, and certainly nowhere has been comparable in terms of food, but I will say that of the many places I have lived, Oakland probably felt the most like “home” to me. It reminds me a lot of the West Side of Chicago.
What is your working, thinking, or making process?
When I am creating something, whether it is an academic endeavor or something artistic, I usually start by getting all my initial ideas out as quickly as possible, then go back and edit until something clear starts to emerge. For example, with writing, I typically do a mental offload. I will write out everything I know about a particular subject in 30 minutes, then go in and edit those ramblings into a cohesive piece, noting thematic connections. The idea for me is to reduce, as much as possible, the time period between the conception of a thought or idea and the execution. Then afterwards, I can take time to revise and refine those ideas. My process for composing and creating music is very similar to that of my writing process. Get the ideas out quickly and then organize and edit.
What are you reading (or watching, or listening to) lately?
Most of the reading that I have been doing over the past year has been directly tied to my qualifying exams, my prospectus, and my dissertation project so I have not had the time to do much reading just for pleasure.
I also have not been watching much television lately. I might have it on in the background while I am working, and it will likely be either a nature show, a documentary, or maybe PBS. The last TV series that I actively watched was IT: Welcome to Derry, which was phenomenal if you are into the horror/sci-fi thing.
As far as music, I cannot pinpoint one particular artist that I am listening to. However, I have been listening to a lot of sixties and seventies jazz and funk music lately. Artists like Roy Ayers; Donald Byrd; Stevie Wonder; Chaka Khan; Sly & the Family Stone; and Earth, Wind & Fire have been my daily soundtrack over the last few months. In terms of contemporary artists, I’ve been listening to Black U.K. artists like Sault and Kokoroko.
What are your meaningful pursuits outside of classes/writing/researching? What do you do for fun, or to relax?
Outside of academia, I am also a photographer and a music composer/producer. So when I need to step away from the pressures of graduate school and my dissertation work, I always have those outlets for creative expression to engage with. I also enjoy cooking.
When I have time to relax, I am usually just listening to music. I am trying to be more intentional about how I consume media, so I have been slowly building my collection of vinyl and other physical media in an effort to move away from streaming. I think streaming platforms like Spotify are training us to become passive listeners, to the point where we no longer fully engage with the music, and it becomes disposable. It just becomes something that you have on in the background while you do other things. I want to actively engage with a music project as the artist intended, rather than just listen to a bunch of songs from random artists on a playlist. Listening to records kind of forces you to slow down and engage with a singular body of work, and that has become more appealing to me over the past year or so.
Any news or projects you want to tell us about? Where can we find your work out in the world?
I am in the early stages of data collection for my dissertation, so that takes up the bulk of my time these days. Aside from that, I will be presenting some preliminary research at the 2026 American Association of Geographers Conference in San Francisco next month. I also had the pleasure of participating in the development of an online Black Studies learning module for 6th- to 8th-grade students called Black to the Future: Identity, Innovation, and Expression in Illinois edited by my good friend Dr. Asif Wilson. I co-authored a unit with writer Keisha Rembert entitled “Chords of Memory: Black Music and Placemaking in Illinois,” which should be released in the next few months.
I do not really have a strong online/social media presence, and I am currently in the process of building my personal webpage, but if you would like to check out my photographic work and learn a bit about the history and geography of my hometown, check out Blackchicagoland.com.