�t ’ s hard to imagine amore surprising path to becoming atop corporate lawyer than the one taken by Bruce Jackson . Raised in aManhattan housing project by asingle mother , he attended afailing high school and struggled to catch up at �ofstra , as the first in his family to attend college . Beginning at age 10 , he was periodically hauled into apolice station on false or trumped-up charges , and more than once spent time in jail for “ driving while Black .” In �e�er ��r�ro� �o�e , his memoir published by Simon �Schuster in February , Jackson , who moved to Montclair in 2019 , credits his success to the support of his mother , aunt and grandmother , who motivated him to never give up , for the good of the family .
At Microsoft , Jackson , �0 , is Associate �eneral Counsel and Managing Director of Strategic Partnership out of the office of the President , managing ateam of 20 attorneys responsible for $ 20 billion in global sales , marketing and opera-tion contracts . In the book ’ sforward , his mentor Brad Smith , president of Microsoft and vice chair of the board , flips the narrative to credit Jackson with giving him advice “ not only on legal and business issues , but on what we needed to do to build amoresupportive environment for amorediverse workforce .”
�ere , we talk with Jackson about his remarkable journey and how he managed to elude the many pitfalls and roadblocks in his path to success .
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�I��EST �OOSTE��
�ackson credits the support of his mother ( seen here with �ackson and his sister ) for motivating him to succeed .
�OW���OR�AN� WAS�OUR �ROO���N ����D�OOD�N�A��N� �OUW�O �OUARE� Your community makes you . Igrew up in in Crown �eights , Brooklyn , until fourth grade . My grandma , aunt and uncle all lived within three blocks of me . We were a close-knit family and it was a happy childhood . Everyone in the neighborhood was poor , so we didn ’ t expect anything different . We didn ’ t have technology , so we were always outside playing street games like hot peas and butter . It was all about human interaction and socialization . We were happy poor kids .
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�OUWERE RA�SED �� �OUR �O��ER� AUN�AND �RAND�O��ER� �OWD�D ��ESE WO�EN F��URE �N �OUR SU��ESS� My mother , grandmother and aunt formed the core ofwho Iam today . They had all picked cotton , and it was their past struggles that motivated me . When I was a freshman at �ofstrain the New Opportunities at �ofstra Program ( beginning precollege to support students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds ), I called my mother and told her Iwas going to quit . It was too hard . My high school hadn ’ t prepared me ; I didn ’ t have much math beyond basic algebra . My Aunt Viola , who ’ d told me about it , called me back . She told me Ididn ’ thave a choice . No one in my family had gone to college . She said that it wasn ’ t just for me , it was for my mother , grandmother and the generations of Jacksons to come . Then she hung up . If it was just for myself , I would have given up . But Icouldn ’ t look her in the face if Ileft .
�OUENRO��ED �N ��E �O�O�WOR� �RO�RA� �N ����S��OO���OW D�D ���S �E�� �OU�N�OUR �OURNE�� During high school , I worked part-time through the co-op program ( in the New York City public schools ), which was for kids who weren ’ t going to college . My high school wasn ’ t very good to begin with ; then , I was basically going part-time . The other option was to rob or sell drugs . When you live in the inner city and have nothing and see the material rewards , that route istempting .
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COUR�ES� OF �RUCE �AC�SON |