MARCELA JACKSON

There are people whose aura shines brighter than a star, who look at you in the eyes and immediately you know they are kind souls; those who, when you meet them for the very first time, you know they are real and you can trust them and relax. That’s how I can described Ms. Jackson.

Before I did anything else, I was asked to meet the Director of the Antelope Valley Senior Center, Mrs. Cindy Robles. Unfortunately, she had a meeting and was only able to talk for a few minutes. I recorded the interview and it will be posted as a video.

I met Ms. Jackson at the entrance of the Senior Center, she was very happy and energized. I told her I was there to interview her for the #CountMeIn project and I wanted to learn about the work she does there. I walked with her to the salon where all the crochet ladies meet every Thursday.

The room is long with tables and chairs all around. I sat there for a couple minutes observing the other ladies while Ms. Jackson was getting ready. Each of them was working on several items, talking to each other and laughing; I noticed each had a different technique and was using different materials. One lady was ready to make coffee, another brought snacks and left them on the table for everyone to share. One of the ladies asked me what I was doing there, so I told her I was there to interview Ms. Jackson for the #CountMeIn project; after our short conversation, she went back to work.

By the time Ms. Jackson was ready, the room was very busy; I asked her to go with me to the library next door. That room was smaller with better lighting. I asked her if I could record the conversation, so I could refresh my memory at the time of writing the blog. As it happens, the recording was excellent, we talked about her personal life, family, and how blessed she was to live in the Antelope Valley, in her own house. She gave me the approval to post the recording as a separate blog; this way people could listen and discover how nice this lady really is.

When we talked about her involvement in the #CountMeIn project, she said: “My dear friend Robin” (Robin Roshental, project leader), asked me if I was interested in being part of the project by making squares for the Polaroid Community Photos, of course I said yes. At the beginning I didn’t know how this was going to work, but now I can’t wait to see this unique tapestry hanging at the museum at the end of the project. Needless to say, she is fast making the squares, which she demonstrated to me while we were talking about life in the AV.