STREET NAMED AFTER INFLUENTIAL GALLATIN PASTOR
CHURCH MEMBERS AND PUBLIC ASSEMBLE TO REVEAL STREET SIGN
GALLATIN – A public ceremony was held to name a street after one of Gallatin’s prominent pastors. “Dr. Derrick Jackson Way” was unveiled by church members and the public on February 27th. The new street is located beside First Baptist Church on Winchester Street in Gallatin, Tennessee.
Derrick Jackson began serving as pastor of First Baptist Church of Gallatin in 2001. He is the sixth pastor in one of Gallatin’s oldest churches that was established in 1865.
Charles Brinkley, a longtime member of the church, initially approached the City of Gallatin’s Engineering Department with the project. “I noticed there wasn’t a name on the street. I know Pastor Jackson is the pastor of the church. He’s been there 22 years. This is the year 2022, and I thought that matched pretty well. I know it’s Black History Month. I said this would be a good month to do it in.”
According to City Engineer Nick Tuttle, the street adjacent to the 1st Baptist Church had originally been platted as Elm Street. Local residents referred to it as Anderson Avenue, but neither was officially adopted into Gallatin’s official street name list. In order for a street to be named, it must be approved by the Planning Commission, 911 and the Gallatin City Council.
“I just feel it was something….kind of like God spoke to me. Because it kept with me to do it,” said Brinkley. “I just felt like he needed his flowers while he’s living so he can smell them. I want him to personally know is why I wanted to do it. It’s just something that was in my heart and I wanted to reveal it some kind of way.”
In addition to being a pastor, Jackson is a member of the Gallatin Rotary Club and a chaplain for the Gallatin Police Department. He also serves as a board member on the Gallatin Industrial Development Board, Salvus Center, Habitat for Humanity of Sumner County and on the Gallatin Health, Education and Housing Facilities Board. His work toward racial healing and community engagement landed him on the front cover of the Reader’s Digest magazine with Mayor Paige Brown and Police Chief Donald Bandy when Gallatin was named “The Nicest Place in America” in 2017.