This story is part of our Disney Dreamers Academy series. Learn more about how teens from across the nation are changing the world by fulfilling their dreams.

When I think about the Black movement workers who were the greatest orators of their time, I think of Fannie Lou Hamer and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. And more recently, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, the Tennessee Representatives expelled from state legislation after standing up for stronger gun control laws.

And now, I add Bradley Ross Jackson to that list.

At just 17-years-old, his impact spreads beyond his stomping grounds of Bloomington-Normal, Ill. His spoken-word-esque speeches have stirred emotions in the hearts of listeners during rallies, contests and other events. His dedication to social and racial justice has led him to become the president of the Bloomington-Normal NAACP’s Youth Council and the vice-president of the Black Student Union of his school. Every Christmas season, he expresses his encouraging spirit by giving away gifts and affirmations to kids in need through his nonprofit B.E. Kind Campaign, also known as the Bradley Expresses Kindness Campaign. He’s donated more than 25,000 gifts since starting the organization at age 10.

His commitment to building a more racially equitable and compassionate future earned him the NAACP Image Award for Youth Advocacy in February, making Jackson the youngest person to receive this achievement.

“I want to leave a mark on this world that you should be kind to somebody,” Jackson said. “You can say, ‘Hey, your shirt looks nice today.’ Just encourage somebody, and encourage yourself as well in the process.”

It’s no surprise then that Jackson was chosen to be part of the Disney Dreamers Academy. Thousands of high schoolers apply to be a part of the academy, but only 100 are selected to be “Dreamers.” The annual mentorship program inspires teens from across the country with a star-studded itinerary featuring workshops, panels and presentations led by some of the teens favorite celebrities, singers, influencers and fashion icons. The crowd roared with excitement on day one of the program in March when it was revealed that R&B singer and actress Halle Bailey was chosen as the 2023 Disney Dreamer Ambassador.

Bailey not only gave Jackson a shout out during her first speech as ambassador, but he also rode in a carriage with Bailey and Princess Tiana during a parade where the Dreamers danced and laughed down Main Street in Magic Kingdom.

“The world is a big, big place,” Bailey said during her speech. “And yet, Dreamers are not afraid to dream big about changing the world. Many of you like Cisco Hernandez, Maria Maione, Bradley Ross Jackson and so many others express a desire to do just that.”

Jackson’s desire to create a better tomorrow for future generations didn’t start with himself. It started with his maternal grandmother: Rosa Campbell. Named after the civil rights icon and NAACP investigator Rosa Parks, Campbell was a single mother of three who visited different churches around St. Louis to evangelize about the importance of advocating for what is right. Jackson’s mom, Dr. Carla Campbell-Jackson, said her mother taught her children how to speak up for themselves at church. When it was time to recite speeches in front of the congregation, they weren’t allowed to read from the paper. The Campbell kids were trained to not only memorize their lines, but to recite them with passion and with vigor.

Campbell died a few years before Jackson was born. So Campbell-Jackson named her son Ross in honor of her mother. Echoes of Rosa Campbell’s spirit exist in Jackson’s speeches and mannerisms, Campbell-Jackson said. They are both avid readers blessed with photographic memories that make it easier to practice speeches. Both of their personalities have a gravitational pull on people. When Campbell-Jackson was younger her family would be the last ones to leave church as people would congregate around her mother to learn more about her passion for social justice. Now people crowd around Jackson to try to tap into what he and his family are doing for the community. Jackson’s father is a deacon at his church and Campbell-Jackson, a member of the NAACP for more than 25 years, is the first vice-president of the NAACP’s Bloomington/Normal branch. She also founded the Mentoring And Providing Scholarships (M.A.P.S.) Program.

“We’re just trying to be change makers and trying to make a difference. That’s the legacy,” Campbell-Jackson said. “If you know you’ve made a difference in somebody’s life, and you’ve been willing to take a stand for social and racial justice, that speaks volumes.”

Campbell-Jackson passed on the gift of public speaking to her son, who started receiving speeches in the church at the age of two. Jackson admired the way his grandmother commanded the room with her words. He emulates that same spirit as he recites speeches from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., his grandmother and even his own speeches that center the Black American experience. During an NAACP rally following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Jackson recited his award-winning poem detailing the talk Black parents have with their children so they don’t become a victim of police brutality.

Reciting his poems in front of thousands of people doesn’t make Jackson nervous. He actually tries to make it an intimate experience as he shares the Black perspective with the audience.

“I always just tried to make sure to look at every single person in the room to make sure they all feel valued,” Jackson said. “I really want people to know that we should all work together to build a better community and have a peaceful life in the world. We also need to respect each other and have dignity for one another.”

Jackson has a lifetime membership with the NAACP. His position within the organization has helped him spread kindness and injustice to the world. During his junior year of high school, he learned that a Black student was being bullied by white students who touched the student’s hair and called him derogatory terms, including the N-word. They would also cackle while the Black student used an afro pick to do his hair.

Jackson couldn’t let that stand. So under the encouragement of his mother, Jackson met with the principal and the school system’s superintendent about the issue. Jackson said the student who led the bullying was expelled — but that’s not all that needs to be done for progress too continue.

“I believe that all teachers should have diversity and inclusion training so they’ll know more about African American students and minorities in general,” Jackson said. “We should know our cultural differences, and still try to rectify issues of racism and bullying.”

After graduating high school, Jackson is setting his sights for Morehouse College, Howard University or Harvard University. He’s exploring many routes to continue his activism: pre-law, education or journalism. Whichever major he chooses, Jackson will make sure he follows these words of his grandmother, which have been passed down by his family for decades.

There is a destiny that makes us brothers. None goes his way alone. All that we send in the lives of others, comes back into our own.