Charles Jackson

DOJ Accredited Representative

Charles is the head paralegal of the affirmative cases division at AAN. He has dedicated his career to human rights and social justice work. Before joining AAN as a staff member in 2010, Charles worked as a volunteer with the organization.

Prior to coming to the United States, Charles was a journalist and Managing Editor of the New Democrat Newspaper in Liberia. The New Democrat promoted democratic values and was an outspoken critic of the Charles Taylor’s administration.  In 2003, Charles served as Co-Founder and Managing Editor of the Exile News Magazine published by exiled Liberian journalists in Ghana where he reported on the plight of Liberian refugees in the West African region.  Charles served on the Membership, Grievance and Ethics Committees of the Press Union of Liberia, an umbrella organization for Liberian journalists.

Charles obtained his BA Mass Communication from the University of Liberia.  In 1996, Charles received UNESCO/Ministry of Education-Liberia scholarship to study Communication and National Development at the Ghana Institute of Journalism. In 2004, Charles received the John S. Knight Fellowships to study at Stanford University’s Department of Communication . In 2009, Charles obtained his certification in Paralegal Studies at California State University with a focus on immigration law. In 2012, the Paralegal Studies Division of CSU honored Charles as an outstanding alumni of the division.  Charles is currently a 2nd year student at Concord Law School.

In 2016, as part of his work-promoting refugee and immigrants’ rights, Charles received a Certificate of Leadership Appreciation Award from the East Bay Refugee Forum for outstanding leadership. Charles served on the EBRF Steering Committee for 5 years.  

Charles is DOJ Accredited Representative and is certified to practice before the Immigration Court and the Board of Immigration Appeals. With his wealth of experience in journalism, Charles is the Editor-in-Chief- of AAN’s Newsletter.