Natalie Jackson is a Central Florida native from Sanford, FL. Growing up, she saw the realities of the struggles that would power her through her career and chose the path that would lead her to run for Congress. Natalie’s mother, Francis, was a teacher and social activist. Her father, Nathaniel Jackson Jr., was a Vietnam War Veteran killed in action. His courage and commitment to our country inspired Natalie to follow in his footsteps. Natalie graduated from Lake Mary High School and attended Seminole State College before enlisting in the U.S. Navy. She later earned an ROTC scholarship and graduated from Hampton University with a B.A. in History.

 

As a single mother to her son and recent graduate, Natalie was commissioned as a Naval Intelligence Officer and graduated from Naval Intelligence School. She was assigned to an air wing aboard the USS Roosevelt as a Middle East analyst, becoming a part of the first team of women allowed on a combat vessel. After her service on the USS Roosevelt, Natalie was assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the Pentagon, as part of an internal think tank that taught operators about new satellite systems. Her experience at the Pentagon provided her the expertise to work with the Department of Defense, other departments in the Federal Government, and across Washington to participate in moving America forward.

At the age of 30, after nearly a decade of active-duty service in the U.S. Navy, Natalie earned a scholarship to the University of Florida Law School. After graduation, Natalie began working as a public defender, seeing first-hand the need for justice reform as clients were shuffled through a system designed to get convictions above all else. She knew that if you wanted to change the system, you had to be willing to do the work to make that change.

 

Natalie started a private practice as a co-owner of The Women’s Trial Group, representing women, children, and the underserved community in injury cases. Natalie represented Torey Breedlove, who was shot in the middle of the night by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) 137 times, killing him and endangering countless others. With her representation, OCSO was denied qualified immunity, which was the catalyst to the OCSO changing its policy on shooting into moving cars.

 

Natalie would go on to fight on behalf of the community during the Pine Hill Barbershop Raids. The OCSO teamed up with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) to conduct a series of raids on black barbershops in Pine Hills and Parramore. Natalie secured a ruling that denied OCSO qualified immunity and changed the law to ensure that certain types of joint operations were deemed illegal.

 

Building a reputation for taking the tough cases, the everyday fights for Civil Rights and justice, and being willing to battle uncooperative institutions have turned Natalie Jackson, the Florida attorney, into a nationally recognized Civil Rights lawyer.

In 2012, Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump called Natalie to partner as local co-counsel on the Trayvon Martin case. Her work on this case put her on the national stage with the Black Lives Matter movement. She continued working with Ben Crump, representing the families of Breonna Taylor, Andre Hill, and several other tragic, high-profile cases. Natalie has worked on the inside to fight for equal justice alongside other activists and community leaders engaged in grassroots activism. Encouraged by community activism, Natalie is inspired to partner at a congressional level to guide America to live up to its potential. Natalie Jackson is running for Congress to build an America that lives up to its promises. We shouldn’t give up on the American Dream – we should fight for it.

 

Natalie is a member of the National Bar Association, The NAACP, Equality Florida, Florida Justice Association, ACLU, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority)

 

Prior Membership Include:
Boys & Girls Club (Seminole County Florida Board Member), the American Red Cross (Central Florida Region Board Member), Seminole County Florida NAACP (Volunteer Legal Counsel), and Orange County Florida NAACP (Volunteer Legal Counsel).