Veteran Democratic District Leader Barbara Jackson has died
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Longtime Democratic District Leader Barbara Jackson died Dec. 31 after representing Assembly District 35 Part B for nearly 30 years. Photo courtesy of Hersh Parekh
By David Brand
Barbara Jackson, a veteran Queens Democratic district leader and union official who dedicated her life to the LeFrak City community, died Dec. 31. She was 78.
Jackson served as a district leader for East Elmhurst and Corona in Assembly District 35’s Part B from 1992 until her death. She represented LeFrak City, the complex she called home for decades.
She began working with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts, known as the IATSE, in 1988.
In 2008, she was one of four delegates elected to represent New York’s 5th Congressional District at the Democratic National Convention. She was also a member of the Elmhurst Hospital Community Advisory Board and regularly attended Queens Community Board 4 meetings for years.
Rep. Gregory Meeks, chair of the Queens County Democratic Party, celebrated Jackson’s “decades of service to Queens” and the organization he leads.
“She was someone who brought people together, and that’s what she did here by creating a sense of community in our borough,” Meeks said. “She will be dearly missed by all who knew her.”
Her friends and fellow Queens leaders remembered her as a caring advocate for her neighbors in LeFrak City and other nearby sections of the borough.
“More than just a political leader, she was a community leader and a friend. Barbara was a force of nature,” said her former fellow District Leader Hersh Parekh. “She spoke her mind, even when it wasn't pleasant. You could always count on her to speak the unfiltered truth.”
The Queens County Democratic Party said Jackson “was a pillar of the community in LeFrak City” as well as Corona and East Elmhurst.
“As an avid supporter for her community she strove to provide opportunities for others to get involved,” the organization said in a statement, recalling her role leading the party’s annual Women's Luncheon.
“However, the most important thing to know and remember is Barbara was a dear friend whose voice, laugh, and smile could brighten up any room she was found,” they added. “She will be very dearly missed.”
