James A. "Billboard" Jackson (1878-1960)
Bellefonte, Centre County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
A prominent African American journalist, as editor at Billboard magazine, Jackson promoted black theater during the 1920s Harlem Renaissance. He later fostered African American business activities for the US Dept. of Commerce. He was born and raised here.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Born and raised in Bellefonte, James A. "Billboard" Jackson became a leading African American journalist in the early twentieth century. As an editor at Billboard magazine during the 1920s, he championed Black performers and theater in the flowering of the Harlem Renaissance. He later worked for the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he promoted African American business enterprise.
Why it matters
Jackson used the press and the federal government alike to open doors for Black artists and entrepreneurs, part of the broader struggle for African American economic and cultural standing.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
The early twentieth century was a hard and hopeful time for Black Americans. Barred from many professions, businesses, and stages by the color line, they nonetheless built a rich cultural and economic life of their own—Black newspapers, Black theaters, Black-owned enterprises that served communities the mainstream ignored.
By the 1920s, that energy crested in the flowering now called the Harlem Renaissance. In New York and rippling outward across the country, Black writers, musicians, and performers created work of extraordinary vitality, and a generation insisted that African American art be taken seriously on its own terms.
Small towns played their part in this story too. Talent did not only come from the great cities; it was born and raised in places like this one in central Pennsylvania, then carried outward into the wider world.
People & events
James A. "Billboard" Jackson was born and raised here, and he became one of the most influential African American journalists of his era. His nickname came from his post at Billboard magazine, where, as an editor in the 1920s, he used his column to champion Black performers and Black theater at the very height of the Harlem Renaissance.
That was no small thing. A trade paper's coverage could make or break careers, and Jackson turned his platform into a spotlight for artists who were too often overlooked or shut out. He treated Black entertainment not as a novelty but as a serious profession worthy of serious attention.
Later, he carried that same purpose into government, working for the U.S. Department of Commerce to foster African American business activities. From the pages of a magazine to the offices of the federal government, Jackson kept opening doors—first for artists, then for entrepreneurs.
Its place in the American story
Jackson's life connects two great currents of the Black experience in his time: culture and commerce. In the press, he helped legitimize Black theater during one of the most creative moments in American history. In government, he worked to strengthen Black enterprise, understanding that cultural standing and economic power went hand in hand.
He reminds us that the Harlem Renaissance had architects behind the scenes as well as stars on the stage. Critics, editors, and organizers built the platforms that let the era's artistry reach a national audience—and Jackson was among them.
His path from a Pennsylvania town to Billboard's editorial pages to a federal post is also a very American story of mobility and purpose: a man who used every institution within his reach—the newspaper and the government alike—to widen the circle of opportunity for his people.
If you visit
There is no grand monument here—just a marker in a Pennsylvania town, noting that a man of national influence began his life on these streets. That modesty is part of the point. Big lives start in ordinary places.
Pause and consider the distance Jackson traveled: from this small community to the center of American entertainment journalism during the roaring 1920s, and then into the halls of the federal government. Read the marker with that arc in mind, and the quiet setting takes on a new charge.
For travelers who love the hidden roots of famous eras, this is a rewarding stop. The Harlem Renaissance may conjure images of New York nightclubs, but stand here and you're standing at one of its beginnings—the hometown that raised a man who helped give it a national voice.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · James A. "Billboard" Jackson
Related events
- · Harlem Renaissance
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
The Mills Brothers
Bellefonte, PA · est. 1992
The story of the Mills Brothers begins in Bellefonte, where grandfather William H. Mills, a Jubilee Singer, ran a barbershop from 1871 to 1931. His son John moved to Ohio, where four grandsons were born and formed a vocal quartet that broke through racial barriers to win a mass national audience. With John singing bass from 1936, the group performed across an astonishing half-century, from 1925 to 1981.
Bowman Field
Williamsport, PA · est. 2000
When Bowman Field opened in 1926 as Memorial Field, minor league baseball was a fixture of nearly every American town, and Williamsport's new park quickly earned its place in the game's lore. Its very first professional contest pitted the Williamsport Grays against the Harrisburg Giants of the Negro leagues — a reminder that Black professional baseball drew crowds and talent in an era of segregation. Renamed in 1929 for J. Walton Bowman, the ballpark went on to host home teams and major league exhibition clubs for generations.
Newport Fugitive Slave Rescue
Newport, PA · est. 2015
In July 1841, three enslaved men from Maryland—Alick, Tom, and Ben—fled north and were tracked to Newport by bounty hunters. Ben drowned trying to cross the Juniata River, and the other two were seized, but several Newport residents helped them get away. Six of those citizens were convicted in federal court in 1842 for aiding the escape.
Julia C. Collins (? - 1865)
Williamsport, PA · est. 2010
Julia C. Collins was a Black essayist and teacher in Civil War–era Williamsport whose serialized novel, The Curse of Caste, is regarded as among the first published novels by an African American woman. Appearing in 1865 in the AME Church's Christian Recorder, a paper read across the nation, her fiction and essays reached a wide Black readership at the very moment of emancipation. She died that same year, her story left tantalizingly unfinished.