Parents’ Day was July 22, 2018, highlighting the responsibilities and challenges parents face every day. Parents across St. Louis are taking on the challenge of developing a strong community of support for other parents, and Rosetta Jackson is one parent who is leading by example. A mother of five children, Rosetta balances parenthood with six leadership roles in community collaborative efforts working to improve infant mortality in neighborhoods across the St. Louis region. She works to help others navigate the difficult world of parenthood, especially focusing on helping new parents who may not know where to turn to find assistance in managing their pregnancy or caring for their newborn.
Rosetta cares deeply and passionately for other parents because she knows firsthand the challenges that new parents, especially women of color, face during pregnancy. While she was pregnant with her now six-year-old twins, Rosetta faced the sudden death of her father and grandmother, and was placed on bedrest six months into her pregnancy. But she received no sympathy for her hardships from her health care providers who were supposed to be supporting her through the high-risk pregnancy. One even told her, “I don’t know why you’re upset. You already have three children.”
This cold attitude was only one of many slights she felt during her pregnancy. Her high level of pain during labor, delivery and post-delivery went largely ignored, as did her symptoms of blurred vision, vomiting and debilitating headaches, resulting in uncontrollable seizures days later. If she hadn’t had health insurance and a strong support system, Rosetta could have become another statistic in the uphill battle women of color face across the country during pregnancy.
Today, Rosetta works to protect other women from these types of experiences. This year, she submitted written testimony advocating for Missouri legislators to expand health insurance coverage for pregnant women 12 months postpartum, which passed with several stipulations. She serves as a parent leader in the Making Change Happen Leadership Academy, works full time as a parent outreach specialist for Vision for Children at Risk and serves on the Board of Directors for Generate Health. Rosetta also leads the annual back-to-school resource fair at her church, providing more than 400 backpacks for more than 400 children. Her dedication to helping parents be the best parents they can be inspires women to gain their voice and power over their experience.
