Wallace “Jack” Jackman was born in Des Moines, IA, and moved to Minneapolis as a child. In the year 2000, the late MSR Publisher Ms. Launa Q. Newman, Jackman’s mother, gave him and his sister, the late Norma Jean Williams, the responsibility of co-publishing the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder newspaper (MSR).
According to Jackman, “I knew my sister Norma could write and had the aptitude for other administrative skills. I stayed out of that area and worked on other stuff to back her up. I would help with the equipment and other duties around the building.”
Jackman said that he remembers when none of the Black newspapers in America had computers when the white-owned papers did. So, Jackman took a bold leap of faith and ordered some computers one day.
He explained that the MSR staff phased into the computer era after extensive training with key employees Lynn Crockett and Linda Mitchell, who could type over 100 words a minute without mistakes.
According to Jackman, when he showed up at the national newspaper convention and shared the good news, he found out that the MSR was still the only Black paper amongst the other Black newspapers using computers.
When asked if he was trying to work on the MSR’s legacy back then, Jackman said, “I wasn’t focused on MSR’s legacy, even though it seems I was contributing to it at the time.”
Jackman is known for his entrepreneurial spirit and for always being ready to discuss the next big venture. He remembers when the MSR had a big print press in the back run by two men, both making more than good money for the time.
In the early ’90s, Jackman discovered that a newer machine by Copa Graphics would only need one person. “I got the guy who sold me the printing equipment to train my wife to run the typesetting machine, and she even learned how to repair it. This cut the cost for two people running obsolete printing equipment at double the salary. It definitely made things more productive and cost-effective,” said Jackman.
The MSR spoke with Michael Chaney, who is a good friend of Jackman. The two men have a history of going into business together. Chaney knew that Jackman saw the MSR as a pivotal anchor of the Black community.
“Jack was the consummate businessman, you know, always trying to bring the Black community together locally, nationally, and eventually internationally,” recalled Chaney.
Chaney believes that some of Jackman’s ventures outside of the MSR had a residual benefit that brought additional visibility to the MSR. “As a young man, I saw Jack as a mentor, a colleague who had the vision and creativity to really become the kind of cohesive glue for anyone or organization, who was willing to make an effort to succeed.
“Jack is the ultimate outreach person and public relations or community relations person for the MSR, by virtue of just looking to make that next connection, anchor to the African diaspora, and even though Jack and his family were from Iowa, they always carried a global viewpoint and didn’t see themselves as a small-town newspaper.”
Chaney continued, “Jack worked with Black journalists, the Buffalo Soldiers, along with operating the Black Pages Business Directory. But many don’t know about Jack’s trips to Africa. You know, those things that took the Spokesman beyond Minneapolis and beyond the borders of Saint Paul.”
The MSR also spoke with retired Judge LaJune Lange about working with Jackman. He was active in the International Leadership Institute. He traveled to Eldoret, Kenya, in 2011 after years of hosting Mayor Maggot of Adored and other officials in his home and at the Spokesman’s office.
“In 2011, we brought several members of the Minneapolis Fire Department, including Chief Jackson, to Eldoret for a firefighter training camp. The International Leadership Institute was set up so that Kenyan firefighters could be trained on modern American equipment.” Lange explained.
“The fire trucks and ambulance were sent from Minneapolis. Jack traveled to Kenya as a personal guest at the Eldoret Town Council. Jack served as a cultural bridge, helping the firefighters immerse themselves in African congeniality and work culture.
“After the trip,” continued Lange, “Jack kept in touch with all the emergency responders and encouraged them to organize a donation drive for fire-resistant jackets—gloves and boots for the Kenyan firefighters. Jack was always there with the International.
“The Leadership Institute shipped another emergency to Eldoret, Kenya. His door was always open when I would stop by the spokesman to talk about our work in Africa. In 2025, Minneapolis will celebrate 25 years as the first African American sister city relationship created during the tenure of Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton,” said Lange.
“It all started with Judge Lange setting up an exchange that led to 10 Kenyans visiting Minnesota. I was asked if I could find them housing, and I did, and some of them lived with me for a while,” says Jackman. “Later, we became guests in Kenya as we delivered five fire trucks and an ambulance.”
Jackman is so proud of his niece Tracey Williams-Dillard for continuing the MSR’s legacy, “hopefully, another 90 years.”