Dominique Jackson SPA Lecture Recap
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State students gathered together at Heritage Hall in the HUB-Robeson Center Thursday, Feb. 24 to wait for the actress, model and LGBTQ+ community leader, Dominique Jackson.
Jackson drew a huge applause the moment she appeared in front of the audience. She was dressed in a long navy blue dress with a pair of baby blue high heels. According to Jackson, this is her first time visiting The Pennsylvania State University.
Emily McGlynn, the moderator and a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism, started their conversation asking how her journey with acting life started. Jackson mentioned that her career actually started from the ballroom. The encounter in the ballroom convinced her that she had acting talent, and this belief has driven her to other experiences since then. This is where her adventure begins.
She talked about the struggles she had been through in American culture where she lives as a black transgender immigrant. She said that obstacles in the movie industry always exist and that people would turn her down whenever they learn who she is and where she comes from. Despite there being many obstacles, she chose to face it with real courage.
Jackson's desire to make a difference is what motivates her to get out of bed every day. Despite the fact that she had gone through a lot and that her experiences made her a stronger woman, she admitted to the audience that she cried occasionally after waking up. She said that she was troubled by her memories of those awful days, but she always reminded herself to live in the present, and she tries not to let the past get in the way of her goals.
Jackson spoke with conviction, and each response she offered drew a sustained ovation. She not only spoke about her own journey, but she also provided a wealth of advice on how to advocate for and assist LGBTQ+ people in general. She even mentioned her “mixed feelings” about the social media platform that most audiences can relate to.
“Sincere” is one thing everyone should bear in mind when helping to advocate for LGBTQ+ community, Jakson said. She also pointed out that when people talked about the group, they should be respectful. One way to show genuine respect to the group is by holding the same standard people have for the rest of the world.
Although sometimes she lost track of the question and answers slipping from her memory, the moderator and the rest of the audience managed to keep a comfortable environment which allowed her to provide even more fantastic replies.
According to Jackson, the American reality television series “Strut” that launched in Sept. 2016 on the Oxygen cable network taught her less trusting than she used to. The reality seemed messed up in that television series.
In the conversation about “POSE,” the American drama television series aired in June 2018, she mentioned how this show changed her life and how it is like a liberation to her. She learned life doesn’t always come full circle and that there is always something happening. The only thing she could do is to face the problem.
Jackson shared her connection to her role, Elektra Abundance, which is that they all have a huge desire for success. She told the audience that as long as you work hard and wish no harm to other people, you will succeed in the future.
Jackson finished this lecture by doing the Penn State tradition, where she yells: “We are!” and the rest of the audience replies with “Penn State!” Jackson recorded this monumental moment and posted it to Tik Tok.
Geyi Zhang is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email at gvz5081@psu.edu.
