Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, Arlette’s story begins in the pews of Bank Street Memorial Baptist Church. She went on to earn her B.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Virginia, sharpen her editorial instincts at NYU’s Center for Publishing (SPI), and deepen her theological roots at Union Theological Seminary in New York, where she earned a Master of Arts in Psychiatry and Religion. Today, she’s pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Care and Counseling focused on faith-based mental health solutions for underserved communities.

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Chaplaincy is central to her identity, anchoring her brand and ministry in compassionate presence and spiritual care. She completed Clinical Pastoral Education at New York’s Bellevue Hospital and NYU Langone Health, ministering across trauma units, psychiatric care, and intensive care settings. Now serving as a hospital chaplain in the D.C. area, she continues to provide critical emotional and spiritual support to patients and families in times of need.

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Chaplain Jackson’s impact stretches beyond the bedside. In her local church community, she’s built ministries around grief, sisterhood, and service. She’s the founder of Wondrous Pillars of Light, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to making mental health education more accessible in churches and communities and its sister organization, Heartlight Universal. Through all of her work, she continues a powerful family legacy, following in the footsteps of pastors and faith leaders who came before her.

 

A proud member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the Association of Professional Chaplains, the Spiritual Care Association, and the American Psychological Association, Reverend Jackson is a voice of both spiritual authority and emotional depth. And with Mommy is a Rainbow, she’s helping others find the words, and the colors, to express what’s too often left unsaid.

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Her ministry is clear: to create spaces where faith and mental health meet, where families are equipped with empathy, and where no one has to walk through the dark alone.