Sailor Jackson Jr., a Bogalusa native, will present the screening of the film, “Into the Fire” at Thursday’s meeting of the Bogalusa chapter of the AARP.

The meeting will be at 3 p.m. at the Bogalusa Senior Center on Willis Avenue. Also during the meeting, AARP chapter president emeritus Willene Ellzey will receive a special recognition.

The film chronicles the historic civil rights march from Bogalusa to Baton Rouge, and highlights the leadership of A.Z. Young and other contributors, including the Wyre family (the Wyres were neighbors to the Sailor Jackson Jr. family), the Hicks family, Gayle Jenkins, Royan Burris and others.

Emma Dixon, president of the Bogalusa AARP chapter, said this effort is being held in concert with other activities, in order to hopefully obtain a historical marker from the state of Louisiana for A.Z. Young’s former Bogalusa home.

Dixon also noted that Jackson’s mother, Mary Jackson, is a member of the local AARP chapter and still lives in Bogalusa. She is a member of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church.

Sailor Jackson Jr. said that he hopes the film will open some eyes in the community.

“I was hoping that the video would chronicle the historic march that took place from Bogalusa to Baton Rouge, to bring the grievances of black people to the governor, John McKeithen,” he said. “It was also showing that the leaders in Bogalusa at that time had the courage and resolve to make things happen for the betterment of their people. I was also hoping that maybe young people would want to continue to help with making things better for the people.”

Currently, Jackson is the special projects officer in the office of the Louisiana Secretary of State. His duties include representing the secretary in dealings with external entities such as Louisiana Public Broadcasting, private historical organizations, media outlets and others, regarding the gathering and preservation of Louisiana’s oral and digital history.

Jackson was born in Bogalusa, and is the son of Sailor Jackson Sr. and Mary Jackson. He graduated from Central Memorial High School in 1968. From there, he attended Grambling State University and served in the U.S. Army.

After serving in the Army, Jackson returned home and worked at the Crown Zellerbach plant for several months. He later moved to Monroe, where he attended Northeast Louisiana University and graduated with a bachelor of science degree.

He is married to Sonya B. Jackson and they have three children, Enoch T. Jackson of Victorville, Calif., Sheldron Jackson of Tucson, Ariz., and Shayla Jackson of Baton Rouge.