Mary L. Jackson Fears, a retired Volusia County school media specialist, graduate of Bethune-Cookman University and Florida State University, is a professional Storyteller/Civil War re-enactor/Genealogist, and author of four books: The Jackson-Moore Family History and Genealogy, Slave Ancestral Research, It's Something Else, Julie’s Journey (an inspirational memoir about her daughter, Julie Anderson) and Civil War and Living History Reenacting About " People Of Color," How to Begin - What to Wear - Why Reenact? This latter title has been placed in each Volusia County school media center and in the high schools of Seminole County, Florida.
Mary Fears specializes in telling stories based upon historic documents, rather than fictionalized versions of African-American History in Florida public schools. Mary has written and directed plays, which were presented to Volusia County school students as field studies. For three consecutive years, "Storytelling: Just Like Magic!" with over a hundred cast members, was presented at the Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach, Florida.
For over thirty years, she has presented storytelling performances in numerous schools, churches, colleges, museums, and historic sites supported by civic, social and religious organizations. She is committed to telling African-American history stories for the education of all listeners.