She overcomes bullying to prove others wrong
“My parents were immigrants from the tiny island of Saint Lucia. They came to Baytown in the late ‘70s. We were very poor. We lived in a trailer park. I was the last of three kids. My mom had a home birth, so I was born in our trailer.
“When I was growing up, materialism and your place in society — like how much money your parents made — was very important to some people. And if you didn’t measure up, they truly didn’t care to get to know you. Not because of anything you did, but they just didn’t want to be associated with you.
“I was being made fun of really bad, mostly in middle school and high school. No matter what I tried, nothing worked. They were not shy in telling me, ‘Oh, you’re always going to be poor. You’re never going to end up doing anything in life.’ And I would think, at that young age, how could you possibly know? The audacity of it all. I just couldn’t imagine.
“I was angry a lot. But I knew that once I was older and able to get away from that environment, things would get better. I thought, if I could just get to college, things would be different. And they were.
“I had a great college experience. I found folks who were interested in who I was as a person, and not how much money I made, what kind of clothes I wore, or how my hair looked.
“I earned my undergraduate degree and master’s degree in vocal performance. I started working and living in Houston. I created a path for myself as a professional singer. I didn’t forget about my past. But I did not let it weigh me down, because there weren’t people constantly in my life reminding me about it.
“It’s a shame that there are people who seem to thrive on feeling like they’re better than you. I don’t know if that’s something taught at home or what. I just wish the people who bully were a little more understanding. I wish they made an effort to know someone for who they are and not for what they may be lacking.”
— Julie Jackson
One of the people Julie met in college was her husband, Ali, a professional tuba player and teacher. Learn more about Julie, the singer.
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