106-Year-Old Black Woman Gets Royal Treatment at Disney World, And These Photos Will Make You Cry
They say Disneyland is the Happiest Place on Earth. But for Magnolia Jackson, Disney World took the title. Ms. Jackson recently made her very first trip to Walt Disney World for a special celebration of her 106th birthday, and she had the time of her life from the looks of these photos.
Jackson, who is the oldest living graduate of Florida’s Bethune-Cookman University, decided she wanted to visit the Magic Kingdom after watching the Wildcats play in the annual Florida Classic football game in 2023. Her team lost 24-7 to the Rattlers of Florida A&M University that day. But after seeing Mickey Mouse perform on the field during the game, Ms. Jackson said she just knew she had to see him up close and personal.
The Walt Disney World staff rolled out the red carpet for Jackson and her family and friends, who got the royal treatment at the park, complete with balloons, a cake, a meet and greet with Princess Tiana, and a special “Happy Birthday” serenade from Mickey Mouse himself.
The Walt Disney World Ambassadors posted a picture of Ms. Jackson’s celebration on their Instagram account, and the photos could melt any cold heart.
“Mrs. Magnolia is the oldest living graduate of Bethune-Cookman University in Florida, and to honor the momentous day, we teamed up with cast across the resort to help throw her a party for the ages,” Walt Disney World Ambassadors captioned the post. “Now that’s what we call a magical day (and one of our favorite moments from our Ambassador term so far)!
Commenters, including some fellow Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, left plenty of happy birthday wishes for Ms. Magnolia on the post, which has received over 1,600 likes so far.
“Hail Wildcats and Blessed my fellow Wildcat the oldest graduate at that. Thanks, Disney for always supporting HBCUs!!” wrote one person.
At the end of the day, the smile on Ms. Jackson’s face proved that Disney is a magical place for people of all ages.
“I have a very good feeling,” said Ms. Jackson, in a “Good Morning America” special. And we do, too, looking at the smile on her face.
