My name is Tashyra Jackson, I have been a resident of the La Crosse community for 21 years. Originally, I am a Madison, Wisconsin transplant, but I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I am the third oldest of eight children, and I moved here with my family during my junior year of high school. We have been calling this our home ever since.

I received my bachelor's degree from Viterbo University, where I studied business and psychology. I have 2 kids, my son Carter whom I have homeschooled for the last two years, and my daughter Maria who is out of school now and moved to Arizona. Maria did all of her schooling in the La Crosse area, and it was very hard on her. This prompted her to seek more diversity immediately following graduation. The hardship here was my story and my daughter’s story. I’m trying to stop it from being my son’s story as well. I am an advocate for my family and many other people in the La Crosse community.

I got into this line of work because I am passionate about helping people and I am passionate about equality. There is so much work to do and we are so far from where we need to be. If we are going to experience equality in this area it is necessary to consider all the connecting pieces in order to truly grasp the big picture. There are many systems in place that make it difficult for black and brown people to succeed. Broken systems have created surmounting barriers for black people with very little hope of resolution.

It is my belief that courageous conversations need to be had and we must be brave enough to hold ourselves accountable for the parts we play in upholding broken systems. Most importantly, we all need to be proactive about being part of the conversation and then challenge our capacity to truly listen with the goal of understanding.

In short, I am dedicated to building a better world for all through my own accountability of how I show up in this world with my character, hard work, and passion. I know that hope can restore!

I was born in Mattson, IL on October 11th, 1983 to Kimberly Lawrence and Leonardo Curtis. I am the second oldest of 5 brothers and 2 sisters. I moved to Madison, WI when I was 5 years old. I graduated from James Madison Memorial High in 2001. I was one of the first high school students to receive my Lead Childcare Teacher Certification from a high school. I went on to Mesa Community College in Phoenix, AZ to study Child Development. I missed my family and decided to move back to Madison. I opened my family daycare, Home Away from Home. I ran the daycare for 15 years. I have four children Chaya, Mia, Jermaine, and Seth. They are my heart and I work hard to provide them with a better life than what I had. I teach my children to persevere and advocate for themselves while also being creative and practicing self-love.

My little brother was murdered in 2016 and I decided to move to La Crosse, WI to open up the Yellow Brick Road Youth Group Home and get away from the pain of my brother's death. I was heartbroken and full of grief when I arrived in La Crosse. I decided to go back to school for human service, and I graduated from Western Technical College.

It is my true passion to help others and I know personally how important it is to have a support system backing you up. I believe that human connection is like food - “We all need it to survive.” I decided that I wanted to open a service that could help others, like was helped. The African American people were going through community trauma after George Floyd's murder. I knew that we needed a safe place to talk and heal. My business partner/best friend and I opened Hope Restores, an urban hub that fights for equality for the African-American community in Western Wisconsin.