The Humble Shall Be Exalted
- Charles Reams
- Feb 7
- 9 min read
Randy Jackson has come a long way from an obscure fringe to the corporate hub. By living such a dynamic life, he has also virtually written a Hollywood script.
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Jackson, born in a poor section of Greenville, South Carolina, carefully obeyed his mother. Jessie Mae Jackson often told him not to brag but that the lowly would be exalted. Anyone who knows Jackson can tell you that he thoroughly exemplifies that maxim.
Despite Jackson’s amazing business accomplishments, he is still rooted and humble. Any outsider would have said that the odds were against him to succeed, obviously, because they did not know the man and judged him solely by outward appearances.
Perhaps a few of his closest friends saw an early promise, but who could have foreseen the dizzying heights that he would later reach?
It was not an easy transition for a poor Black kid to ascend to the corridors of one of the region’s largest grocery store chains. He and his brother along with another partner started their own construction company, trucking company and janitorial company. Jackson returned to corporate America for a brief period, later started his own business solutions company along with three other partners, to tackle the turnaround of what had become a dilapidated Phillis Wheatley Center, which was losing money at every turn.
After Jackson was hired to run the center, he said, “It was sad to see the center that I love neglected and rundown, dark, gloomy and damp. There were barrels all over the place catching rainwater that leaked through the roof.” The center was in jeopardy of losing its 501C nonprofit status. Jackson reminisces that at that moment, he felt a little like Red Foxx, who once owed the IRS thousands of dollars in back taxes. The TV character Fred Sanford often laughed about his tax woes.
But the plight of the Phillis Wheatley Center was no laughing matter. As the turnaround kid had done many times before, Jackson seriously assessed the dire situation. There were no federal or state grants in place. By then, Jackson owned First Merchant Service. And then return to Jackson’s roots and make a grand impact on the people he cares for the most.
Jackson was born in June 1961, the youngest of ten children to a single mother. He cringes when his siblings call him to this day the baby boy of the family. He muses, “some baby.”
Though painful, it is important to understand some gruesome details of Jackson’s upbringing to grasp the unlikelihood of this odyssey and the magnitude of his ascent. The children do not have the same father. That truth, to this day, tugs at his tear ducts.
The important thing is that Ms. Jessie Mae Jackson made the best of her trying dilemma. Her children would tell you that they lacked nothing. In fact, Ms. Jessie showered all her children with love. That was a stabilizing force for the family.
Their family life was paradoxically a superb launching pad for such productive lives that resulted. It turns out that when love fills a house, wonderful things happen.
The sleeping arrangements were simple: younger ones slept with mom. His older brothers slept on a bunk bed. By the time Jackson, the youngest of ten, had graduated to the top bunk, it felt like he had died and gone to heaven. He still laughs about that today.
Progress through the public school system was punctuated with promise and accomplishments. Teachers commented on the obvious talent Jackson displayed.
Even so, distractions were found everywhere. Once, Jackson had to attend summer school to keep up with his classmates. His teacher wisely conducted a class on the screened back porch so Jackson could see his classmates playing outside. How he longed to be with them, frolicking in the yard.
He vowed to hit the books so he would never have to experience that painful ordeal again. Why should he be stuck inside doing schoolwork alone while all his friends were outside having fun playing?
Integration into the white school system had its challenges, but Jackson mixed well with peers, a skill that would soon pay huge dividends. He had always been colorblind. His friends were black and white.
Inherent educational inequalities did not sidetrack Jackson. He made the best of his predicament and rose above the fray.
Jackson learned human relations skills while playing high school football and basketball, sports that he excelled in, and taught him important leadership skills. He carried many useful lessons into his business practices.
The family has fond memories of their Mom cooking homemade cinnamon rolls, and homemade biscuits served with molasses and fatback. “That was a favorite meal for us as children,” Jackson said with a smile. It is painful, however, to think how his mother struggled to raise 10 children alone. Jackson resolved that he would provide better for his family. That’s a vow he has dutifully kept.
After Jackson graduated from the University of South Carolina, he worked several retail jobs prior to being hired by BI-LO Supermarkets, where company managers put him on the fast track to reach his goals in a year. He started working as Customer Service Manager on Pelham Road in Greenville. The operation was then achieving 68% to 70% operation performance as a showcase store. So, when the store later achieved 96% operation performance, management moved him to the Seneca store as Assistance Store Manager.
To say that the store in Seneca was performing poorly was an understatement. The store never got a performance bonus. In fact, the store lost money. The first inventory after he arrived revealed a loss. By the second inventory, there was a modest profit. Next, the store was garnering record sales.
Management then promoted him to Store Manager in Clemson SC, which was another store with low production. It never earned a bonus. No self-respecting Carolina alumni would feel comfortable in tiger land. “So, I had every motivation to affect a rapid store turnaround,” Jackson said. However, when arriving at the Clemson store, Jackson later had a problem with one of his department managers. After Jackson surveyed the store aisles with the department manager in tow, he gave his subordinate a to-do list. But the employee defiantly glared at Jackson and told him that he was not going to take orders from a “N.” Jackson told him to leave the store for a week without pay. Jackson reported the incident to his Regional VP, and he told Jackson to terminate him, but Jackson said “no.” Jackson soon met with the employee who sheepishly apologized to Jackson.
About three months later, the same department manager came to Jackson and said he was enrolling in seminary school and asked Jackson for a reference letter. Jackson then told his wife about this surprise request.
Jackson’s wife said, “I know you’re not going to write him a reference letter based on what he called you.”
But Jackson then said, “Yes, I do not have a problem with helping out a colleague because people sometimes say things that they don’t mean. So, Jackson wrote the reference letter.
By the time that store was a top performer, the corporate Regional VP said that Jackson was the only store manager that he had to phone for an appointment to see him because he was that busy making good things happen.
Jackson supposes that his bosses promoted him to the corporate office to scrutinize his management style as Employment Manager, later promoted to Corporate Merchandiser.
A steady corporate job allowed Jackson to see his family grow in a warm, stable, and safe environment.
It seemed natural to develop close ties with Janice, but the couple dated for ten years before they finally got married. They enjoyed their time together, just the two of them, and traveled a lot.
Their children enrich their lives. Randy “Jay” Jackson. Jay was born October 27, 1987, in Greenville. He now plays professional baseball. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2008.
Then came Jasmine “Jazz,” now 33. She was born with Down syndrome. What a blessing she is to Jackson and all. Jackson says Jazz reminds him of what is most important in life: joy, not material things. “Jazz has enriched my life and given me a better perspective, Jackson said. She never wants anything; she is always happy. “Some of the medical practitioners recommended that we put our child up for adoption,” he said. They apparently reasoned that it would be too difficult for the couple to raise her properly since they both were professionals with demanding jobs, and they might not have the required time to spend with a child needing special help. We looked at each other and easily announced to the hospital staff, “We’re taking our daughter home with us,” they said. “Our position was simple: God knows which parents can handle this challenge, though considerable. We didn’t deprive her of anything, and Jazz has filled our life with joy and fulfillment,” Jackson said.
Jackson was called by God into the ministry in 1994 and licensed in 1995 to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. In 2007, he was ordained as a Gospel Peacher and later in that year, he was called to serve as pastor at Mount Calvary Baptist Church and he still serves as pastor.
Kiyana came into the Jacksons’ lives much later. Kiyana is an alert and active person, now 20. “She is as close to us as if she were our biological daughter,” Jackson said. However, her natural parents got entrapped in situations that required them to take custody of Kiyana, and they later adopted her. “We don’t look at her as being adopted. She is our daughter,” he said.
Before making such a solemn commitment, Jackson understood well that his wife Janice, a professional woman, loved to travel. So, they discussed how their lives would change from being well-healed empty-nesters to raising a daughter again so late in life. So, with both partners fully onboard, they signed the adoption papers and started a new life as older parents.
There was another major factor that moved the couple to adopt. When Kiyana was in first grade, she asked why her last name was different from her parents and siblings. The Jacksons moved fast to avoid any uneasiness with their daughter in school, at home, and elsewhere, and they made the adoption happen.
The Jacksons marvel at the differences between the new generation and theirs. The innate sense of entitlement is foreign to the Jacksons, but that does not stop their daughter from embracing it.
Kiyana was enrolled in a Charter school, not a pedestrian public school. Later, the Jacksons enrolled her at Charleston Southern University. But to their disappointment, Kiyana summarily announced that college was not for her.
Jackson sat her down and explained three options to her: learn a trade, get a job, or enlist in the military.
With that fresh clarity of mind, she enrolled in a cosmetology class. Kiyana displayed a knack for applying makeup, and she loved the process.
Next, Kiyana became fascinated with YMCA child counseling, so, she was hired by the YMCA as an after-school counselor and did that for a while, loving it each day.
Later, Kiyana became Jay’s personal assistant. When she asked if she could get some business cards, Jackson reminded her that she was still in her 90-day probationary period.
BI-LO was a steppingstone to bigger things.
Over the years, Jackson learned a lot about business and met many shrewd colleagues. When it was time for him to start his own business, he was decisive and deliberate. He never looked back. “Business is good for me,” he said.
The Phillis Wheatley Center opened at its current Greenville address in 1975.
By 2019, the center was a mess. Greenville County made two five-year agreements with the center. The county then renovated the building. The electrical system and the AC system were completed even above standard.
Eugene Ashmore, our facility manager, has been with the center for many years. He’s as steady and dependable as they come.
We put on our first show at the center in August of 2019, and over 300 in attendance, overcoming all obstacles and galvanizing the staff and supporters.
Now, the center is thriving.
We are out of debt, and we own the buildings on both campuses. We have in place various grants and support from some foundations. Our board of directors is strong, active, and resourceful.
How can we maximize our assets? The center previously ran a lot of programs, but what was their impact on the community? We ask, how can we increase our effectiveness?
Jackson saw that most local nonprofits are territorial. This hampers cooperation and networking. There are more than 2500 nonprofits in Greenville County alone and many others in Anderson and Spartanburg. So, we ask ourselves, What do we do best? Can we find partners to handle the rest?
By fostering cooperation, communication, and networking, we have pulled ourselves out of a financial hole and now stand on solid fiscal footing.
We are transforming our center into a one-stop shop.
Employment
Pat Michaels, CEO of Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands SC, is a lot better at handling the details of employment matters than I am. So, we partnered with him. We lease some of our space to him, and he, in turn, handles our employment matters.
We now have a host of other partners in our building. HeadStart operates its program here.
Greenville Tech runs a re-entry program here.
Innovation Counseling Services provides mental health counseling for adults, youth, and families.
There is also an After-school enrichment program.
On Sundays, Resurrection Presbyterian Church conducts its worship services here.
Justshon’s catering and bakery leases our kitchen, which has partnered with the center to cater all events at the center and open Tuesday through Friday from 11:30AM until 3:00PM for lunch and Sunday from 11:30AM until 5:00PM.
The center is now well-positioned to launch our Young Artist Program. Standby for a subsequent article about that program.
