We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ruth Jackson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ruth, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
This is a deep soul-searching question! Honestly, I wasn’t always confident in myself. As a Deaf Black woman who grew up surrounded by predominately white and hearing people, I often saw myself as the oddball. I was constantly trying to be someone I wasn’t. There wasn’t anyone I looked up to or felt comfortable asking for advice. When I started learning ASL and meeting other people who were Deaf Black, my world opened up. Instead of acting like I was hearing, I started acting like I was Deaf. This boosted my self-esteem to the point where I considered myself unique instead of trash no one cared about.
The biggest turning point was in college, where I met other Christians who actually wanted to get to know me. I spent the majority of my growing-up years surrounded by peers who said they held the same beliefs as me but treated me like dirt. If I told them I didn’t like how they treated me, their response was always, “You’re too sensitive” or “It was just a joke.” That hurt. Because these “Christians” were the ones who said it, I didn’t want to believe in the same God they did. Years later, I realized the reason why I was created Deaf. By knowing English and ASL as well as having the gift of creative writing, I realized my purpose — bridging the gap between the Deaf word and hearing.
Since this realization, I have published short stories about the Deaf world and my own life, a novel (in progress), started Bake it with Sass, and dared to dream of building a community center for Deaf children.
Does this mean I have it all together? NOPE! I still fight an internal battle of not being good enough or feeling lost while building my dreams. However, I will say that I am proud to be a Deaf Black woman.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Bake it with Sass is where you can learn how to bake from scratch in ASL! The Sassy Baker offers on-demand course videos, live virtual classes, and in-person classes (coming soon!) Both online course libraries have a growing list of videos, with English captions, you can watch and learn how to bake from scratch in the comfort of your home. New Sass on the Block is for beginners and Beyond Sassy is for those looking for a challenge!
Bake it with Sass was born out of a desire to build a community center for Deaf children. I grew up without strong Deaf role models and I don’t want the next generation of Deaf children to go through the trauma I did. Bake it with Sass strives to bridge the gap between the hearing and Deaf worlds by providing a way for the Deaf community to take a class with ease and hearing people can learn/use ASL in a unique way.
Sign up for the Sassy Batch to stay in the loop about baking classes and new course videos at bakeitwithsass.com.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
My creativity, perseverance, and knowledge of ASL/Deaf culture are what allowed me to be where I am today. Over the years, I’ve heard phrases such as, “When God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.” or “It’s not how many times you get knocked down, it’s how many times you get up.” Those are well-meaning phrases but when I am in the midst of a storm, these are the last things I think about.
My advice is to focus on your blessings. Focus on what you DO HAVE. A pastor said not too long ago, “If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your body, a roof over your head, and a place to sleep, you’re richer than 75% of the entire world.” Not sure who said it first but it puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?
Focus on improving what you can control, your attitude, and your skills. See if there are any classes you can take or people you can ask for advice to help develop whatever you need. Grow your network. See what is working for other people with the same skills or a similar business and see if you can implement those. If you are discouraged or frustrated, find something that makes you happy. For me it’s bike riding, watching a favorite TV show, or mini-golfing with a friend. Taking a step back helps you take a million steps forward.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
For my business, Bake it with Sass, my number one challenge is finding a kitchen to rent or money to build one. Most teaching kitchens in the Denver area already have classes regularly. In addition, it’s just as hard to find grants that will allow me to build a Deaf-friendly accessible teaching kitchen. I have been reaching out to various kitchens that have multiple ovens and researching grants that might be able to help with this. My dream is to hold regular in-person ASL baking classes for Deaf sassy bakers and have interpreters available for those learning. I want it to be Deaf-friendly and accessible to those with all disabilities. Since I have all of these dreams, it can often feel overwhelming. However, all I can do is continue to do my due diligence, be patient, think outside of the box, and pray. If this dream is meant to be, it will come true.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bakeitwithsass.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/bakeitwithsass
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/bakeitwithsass
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bake-it-with-sass/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thesassybaker533
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