Maleka Jackson
Maleka Shajuan Grimes Jackson, 39, of Woodstock, Georgia, passed away in Exuma, Bahamas on June 30, 2018.
Maleka was born and raised in Chattanooga. She is the daughter of Anita P. Horton and Malvin L. Grimes. She was married to Tiran LeVar Jackson, and they have a 12-year-old son, Cameron Tyrel Jackson.
Maleka received Christ at an early age and attended the Eastdale Church of Christ. Later, she joined and was baptized at the New United Missionary Baptist Church in 1989.
Maleka was a gifted student in the Chattanooga Public School System. In 1996, she graduated from Chattanooga City High School for Paideia and Performing Arts. She was a 2000 graduate of Tennessee State University with a B.S., Liberal Arts and Sciences and a Teacher's Certificate 1-8 with a concentration in Language Arts and Social Studies.
In 2005, she received an MBA, Management Degree at Indiana Wesleyan University. In 2009, she received a MHRM in Human Resources from Keller School of Management. She went on to receive additional certifications: a professional in Human Resources HRC and a Society of Human
Resource Management SHRM. She was presently getting new certification at the time of her death.
Upon graduation from Tennessee State University, she was a sixth grade English teacher for three years and later became a director/administrator of higher education at Devry University and Georgia Perimeter Community College. Most of her career was spent working on diversity and inclusion as she was presently working for JLL Jones Lang and LaSalle, a real estate firm in the Greater Atlanta area. Prior to that, she was a Diversity Talent Acquisition recruiter for Accenture, a management consulting firm.
Maleka truly had a gift of service and loved leading and mentoring others. She was often referred to as the "glue" of her beloved AKA Sorority where she pledged the Alphi Psi Chapter in 1999 on the Y2KUTE line at TSU. She later chartered a graduate chapter, Chi Chi Omega in 2005 in Indianapolis, In.
She loved writing, art, music, cooking, entertaining, traveling, community involvement, and involvement in her son's extracurricular activities. She also served as the 2017-2018 Millcreek Middle School PTA president at his school.
She was preceded in death by her grandparents, William and Eloise Pugh, Malvin and Beatrice Grimes; and her father-in-law, Thomas Jackson.
She is survived by her loving husband of 15 years, Tiran LeVar Jackson; her gifted 12 year old son, Cameron Tyrel Jackson; mother, Anita P. Horton; father, Malvin L. Grimes; stepmother, Dorothy Grimes; stepfather, John T. Horton; brother, Mashan Brown (Audrelle); sister, Jahon Horton; brother, Jaylen Grimes; sister, Felesia Williams; stepsister, Ashley Dixon; mother-in-law, Shirley A. Jackson; sister-in-law, Revonda Hawkins (Gregory); childhood best friends, Akisha Martin, Dee Smith, Tekuila Carter; and a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family, friends, sorors, and colleagues.
The family would like to extend a special thanks to Carol Smith-Wooden, Go Fund Me Campaign organizer, Chris Jones, Cameron's Godfather, AKA Sorority Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Inc., IPPP Organization, Russell Elam, Scotty Hendricks, and the Lakestone Community, Tennessee State University, Courtney Petit and the JLL firm, Troy Hoyte and Rick Clinton and the Vericor Power Systems, caring family and friends.
The body will lie in state from 12-3:30 p.m. at the funeral home. Viewing will resume at 5 p.m. at Olivet Baptist Church, at 740 East M.L. King Boulevard, 37403 and the family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. at the church.
The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s Ivy Beyond The Wall ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 21, at Olivet Baptist Church, immediately by the funeral service at noon with Minister Malvin Grimes officiating. Interment will be in Hamilton Memorial Gardens.
Arrangements will be announced by John P. Franklin Funeral Home, 1101 Dodds Ave., 622-9995.