Marlette Grant Jackson is an artist, jewelry designer, graphic designer and educator from Northern California. She grew up on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation. 

Marlette joined the Native Women's collective because of her interest in getting more artists from Northern California recognized and she was excited about the community involvement with the organization. 

Marlette has her BA in Native American Studies from Humboldt State University with minors in American Indian Education and Native American Studies. She also has done extensive studying in Business Administration. 

For the past 14 years Marlette has worked at the Indian Teacher Education Personnel Program (ITEPP) at Humboldt State University as the Student Services Advisor & Resource Coordinator. At ITEPP Marlette manages a 6,700 piece collection of materials on, about and by Native peoples. She also serves as an advisor and helps students with deadlines, crisis management, grades, classes and much more. Marlette hopes that she can help make a connection that keeps the students engaged, on task

I am  the surrogate mom/or auntie for Native students here at HSU.  I hope  that I can help make a connection that keeps the students engaged, on  task, and helps them find away to balance Native life & family with  the demands of University life.  I found a perfect quote from a book  called "Sequoyah Rising (page 5)- White people misunderstand "Indian  Time" as a license to be late.  Actually, it means more that things  should happen when they are supposed to happen and it's better not to  worry ourselves trying to make them happen on an artificial time because working in the dark would not have been proper anyway."

Marlette has three children. Her daughter is 21 and she is also an up and coming artist. Her oldest son is 19 and "definitely does things his own way..." Her youngest son is 17, and has one more year of high
school. Marlette writes: "The three of them have been my LIFE for the last 21 years.  I have done my  best to make sure they know happiness and love.  That the are secure within themselves, and that they create their own happiness - that  someone else can not do that for you.  They help influence me to be a  person they can look up to, trust, and know that I love them  unconditionally.  That they know I love them for just being them, not  that they are straight A students, or that they are the best baller, or  that they live their lives according to me."

Marlette finished her B.A. as a single mom to three kids. She hopes that her art and jewelry are pieces that people enjoy and she is proud that she can make regalia and pass it along to future generations. 

"Culture and art are in my life daily.  I live and breathe it. It is my life. I
am Proud to be Indian.  It's difficult to explain to others... it's not
like I think "oh, I think  I'll do Indian things today."  I start beading I'm
beading Indian  jewelry or regalia.  I start a basket, I'm creating something functional, traditional, art. At work I'm working with Native  Students, or I'm explaining, lecturing about stereotypes and the  dysfunction that those stereotypes bring to my life, my children's lives  and into our communities."