A woman seen in video footage from the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated has been identified 63 years later. Joan Jackson, now 94, was photographed and filmed wearing a headscarf and holding a young boy as the presidential motorcade passed through Dallas on November 22, 1963.
Jackson's daughter contacted Stephen Fagin, the head of curatorial affairs at the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, confirming her mother was present and filmed that day. Jackson, who still owns the headscarf, had been unaware she was captured on camera until her daughter's inquiry. "I didn't even know anyone was filming it. It's like I'm looking right at the camera," Jackson stated.
Jackson, who now resides in a Dallas senior facility, recalled the day vividly. She remembered the announcement that the car's protective bubble would be removed, allowing a clearer view of President Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. "It was just such a beautiful setting for me to see them go by. I know we kept saying to each other, 'I can't believe this,'" she said.
Fagin views Jackson's identification as a vital piece in understanding the event. "They're like puzzle pieces that fit into this broader tapestry of living memory, and they help to connect us to the moment and the memory of that event and make this story relevant to younger people born decades after the 1960s," he explained. Jackson emphasized the importance of preserving such memories, stating, "The older ones, we won't be around much longer, and I think the young ones need to know what happened."
The headscarf worn by Jackson is slated for display at the Sixth Floor Museum, and her recollections will be preserved on the museum's YouTube page. The assassination of President Kennedy, the youngest ever elected to the office, deeply affected the nation, which had not experienced a presidential assassination since William McKinley in 1901. The event also fueled widespread skepticism regarding the official account, with a 2023 Gallup poll indicating that only 29 percent of Americans believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
Kennedy was in Texas as part of a political trip to garner support among Democrats. On November 21, he visited San Antonio, Houston, and Fort Worth. The following morning, he flew to Dallas, departing Love Field in an open-top limousine at 11:55 a.m. Seated with him were his wife, Jacqueline, Texas Governor John Connally, and his wife, Nellie. The motorcade was en route to the Dallas Trade Mart, where Kennedy was scheduled to deliver a speech. At approximately 12:30 p.m., as the motorcade turned onto Elm Street in Dealey Plaza, Kennedy was shot twice. One bullet also struck Governor Connally. Nellie Connally reportedly remarked to the President just before the shooting, "Well, Mr. President, you can't say there aren't some people in Dallas who love you."
According to the Warren Commission, three shots were fired. The first missed its target, the second struck Kennedy in the neck, and the third caused the fatal head wound. The assassination remains a subject of intense historical interest and public debate.
