Patricia Jackson believes you should see yourself in the content you consume, and she made that belief reality for legions of Black Stars Wars fans when she landed a dream project — writing for the franchise.
Jackson, a Central York School District teacher by day, was tapped to write a chapter for an anthology commemorating the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi. For the book, From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi, Jackson and 39 other writers were tasked with rewatching the film and then recreating a scene through the lens of a supporting character.
Jackson has a deep love for the Imperials, saying she would serve for Darth Vader if placed in the cinematic universe, so naturally she chose the scout trooper who knocked Luke Skywalker off his bike during the chase scene in Endor.
To add her own twist to the character, she made him Black. The subtle change quickly became controversial.
“The challenge was when I got pushback from Lucasfilm about him being Black and him working harder because he was Black because it suggests racism,” Jackson said. “They didn’t want me to show that, which was disappointing because that’s real.”
The response only upped her conviction.
“Stories should be about realism as much as possible even when they’re the most fantastical. Racism is an ugly thing, but you shouldn’t just take racism out of stories just because you’re trying to make your neighborhood [or fictional galaxy] look better,” she said.
The story was published, but Jackson said the move may have cost her another opportunity to work with Star Wars, and she's OK with that.
“I know I did the right thing for myself and for children,” she added.
At Central York High School, where she teaches English and creative writing, Jackson learned that one of her students, a young Black man, was also a Star Wars fan. To get him to come to class more, she let him read a draft of her story.
“He came over to my desk and said ‘Miss, is this character really Black?’ I said yes,” Jackson recalled. “He replied, ‘Miss, I am going to hug you.’ I will never forget that moment.”
Jackson was at the forefront of pushback against her district’s book ban that drew national headlines and was later reversed, per FOX43.
“I grew up watching white characters all my life. I never put characters who looked like me in my own stories. It was not until my early 20s that I started experimenting in Star Wars. I was too afraid to say they were Black. I said they were dark-skinned or deeply tanned. It was not until my 50s that I became unapologetic about putting Black characters in my stories and making stories about Black people.”
Her latest Star Wars project is not the last time Jackson will be writing. She hopes to find the time to create her own all-Black fantasy world.
“The story is about a foster kid who grows up to work at a renaissance fair as a Black knight. He finds out he is the last descendant of a line of ancient warriors from another world. He gets sucked into that world and is trying to make his way and figure out who he is and where he belongs in the structure in the story,” Jackson said. “I am super excited.”
Her advice to aspiring writers?
“Tell the story from your heart. Interject yourself in the story,” she said. “See yourself and don’t be ashamed of it.”
—Tanisha Thomas, newsletter writer / reporter | 
