Dr. Cheryl Action Jackson has been sworn in as the new president over the Women’s Division of the Plano Chamber of Commerce. She’s also now the first Black president in its history.

Cheryl is the founder of Minnie’s Food Pantry in Plano. Over the last decade, Minnie’s Food Pantry served over 10 million meals in North Texas. Cheryl gained national recognition through subsequent appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

She was voted as 2018 Community Partner of the Year, and received the 2019 Angelo Henderson Award for Community Service from the National Association of Black Journalists.

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Cheryl Action Jackson.

When we talked to Cheryl in 2018, she reflected on the heart of her work to honor her mother, Minnie Ewing, and to not just leave a legacy, but to live a legacy.

“You need to live your legacy so that people see it in you and want to be like you,” Cheryl explained. “I want to talk to powerful women. I want them to come to me, to other women and speak about their lives. I think as women, we need that. We work and our husbands work, but when our work is done, we are still taking care of our kids and our families. We need camaraderie. We need to know who we are and we need to love each other.

“I challenge women to look around, look at the woman next to you,” she adds. “We’re all out for success, and we can help each other achieve it.”

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Jordan Jarrett

Jordan is the digital manager at Local Profile. She creates digital, print and social content. Her passion is profiling people and their experiences, connecting community through authentic narrative.