Black History Maker Paves Way to College for Alabama Foster Youth

Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa, 92.9 WTUG, Praise 93.3, 105.1 The Block, and the Tuscaloosa Thread, along with 1-800-411PAIN, are proud to present the 2025 Black History Makers of Alabama.

Black History Maker of Alabama – Dr. Sebrena Jackson

Photo Credit: Jonathan Norris

Dr. Sebrena Jackson is a visionary leader and dedicated servant with more than 25 years of expertise in social work and leadership. Her strategic approach and commitment to service define her professional career.

Jackson's current role is as a tenured associate professor at Research I University, The University of Alabama. Her extensive academic career includes serving as a Title IV-E Coordinator and Instructor in a BSW program at an HBCU and as director of Field Education for the first fully online university to receive Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accreditation for an MSW program.

As a first-generation college graduate, she is deeply passionate about education. She obtained her BSW from Tuskegee University and her MSW and Ph.D. from Clark Atlanta University.

Her passion has been the driving force behind her practice, research, and scholarly work, shaping her commitment to making education accessible and impactful.

Her research centers on two key areas: improving post-secondary education access and success for youth transitioning out of foster care and advancing the field of online education. Jackson has shared her insights widely, contributing to publications and delivering presentations at state, national, and international conferences.

Jackson is a licensed clinical social worker in Georgia and Alabama, with a broad range of practice experience. Her work spans medical social work, crisis intervention, child welfare, community organizing, and private practice.

As a true history maker, Jackson founded a pre-college program, the National Social Work Enrichment Program (NSEP), which provides a four-week college experience for foster youth.

NSEP seeks to encourage foster youth to consider social work as a college major while inspiring them to graduate high school and enroll in college.

“Black History is an opportunity to remind ourselves and others about the rich contributions that African Americans have made to this country. I am both challenged and inspired as I continue to learn about those contributions. Black History Month is a time to celebrate. It’s a time to remember. It’s a time to be grateful for how far we’ve come.” - Sebrena Jackson

She was honored as the National Association of Social Work's (NASW) Social Worker of the Year in two states, Georgia in 2009 and Alabama in 2017, for her work with transition-age foster youth. She was recently appointed as a Co-Lead for the Social Work Grand Challenge: Harnessing Technology for Social Good and received the CSWE 2024 Distinguished Recent Contributions to Social Work Education.

Jackson has been a pioneering force in the profession. Using her leadership, practice, and research, she has opened the doors of higher education for hundreds of youth transitioning out of foster care, making college a tangible reality for many.

Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa thanks 1-800-411PAIN for supporting our yearly Black History Makers of Alabama spotlight. "Car Accident? Remember After 911. Call 411. 1-800-411PAIN, that's 1-800-411-7246.

Be sure to download our free app for more details on the Black History Makers of Alabama.

Get our free mobile app

LOOK: Here are the biggest HBCUs in America

More than 100 historically Black colleges and universities are designated by the U.S. Department of Education, meeting the definition of a school "established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans."

StudySoup compiled the 20 largest historically Black colleges and universities in the nation, based on 2021 data from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. Each HBCU on this list is a four-year institution, and the schools are ranked by the total student enrollment.