CCBC Faculty, Health Professions Pathway
Professor Jackson is helping to usher in the new wave of death care professionals in CCBC’s Mortuary Science program.
The face of death care is changing, and CCBC is at the forefront. More women, people of color and career changers are entering a field long seen as white and male-dominated, helping reshape its future. Helping to guide that shift is CCBC instructor Edwin Jackson, an experienced funeral director and embalmer.
Like a growing majority of his students, Jackson’s path into mortuary science wasn’t predestined by family tradition.
“I came into death care purely by happenstance,” says Jackson. “In high school, my mom said that I needed to get a summer job. It was that simple."
He began working at a family friend’s funeral home washing cars and tending to the grounds. That experience sparked a career. He went on to study at the University of Central Oklahoma where he earned a bachelor’s degree in funeral service.
After graduating, Jackson became licensed in Oklahoma and apprenticed at a highly reputable funeral home, learning everything from making arrangements to the ins and outs of sales. He eventually returned to Baltimore to earn his Maryland license, completing his apprenticeship at one of the largest Black-owned funeral homes in the state where he became a full-time mortician.
Jackson continued his work in the field and returned to school to pursue a master’s degree in African American studies at Morgan State University. He’s now working toward a Ph.D. in history with a concentration in the African diaspora.
“I thought I’d earn my Ph.D. and be someone’s professor somewhere,” he says. “The offer to teach mortuary science at CCBC came sooner than I thought and I jumped right on it; it’s been great. Leadership here is so supportive of this program in words and action.”
CCBC offers the only mortuary science program that fulfills the requirements for licensure in Maryland, training students in topics like embalming and restorative art (which Jackson teaches), religious and cultural practices, and the law and business sides of funeral directing.
His students are often career changers — law clerks, makeup artists and others looking for meaningful work or the chance to start a business. He estimates that about 80% of his students are women.
“When I speak at conferences, I tell the funeral directors that if they’re not hiring women, they’re falling behind,” Jackson says.
He’s clear that funeral service is demanding but full of possibilities and open to anyone interested in a solid, meaningful career.
“You can go into this business and never embalm a body if you don’t want to or never consult with the family if that’s not what you’re interested in." He underscores that there is room for many talents and personalities.
“There are lots of myths around this industry,” he says. “But in it, you’ll meet some really great people. We’re not somber or emotionless. We’re real people. When you join this industry, you become part of a supportive, tight-knit community.”
He encourages anyone curious about the field and the program to attend an information session at CCBC.