The Reverend Jesse L. Jackson reaches a hallmark this past Friday, October 8, when he turns 80 years old. He is the most senior Black civil rights leader to live. Frederick Douglas died at 78, Marcus Garvey died at 53, and Booker T. Washington died at 59. The modern leaders Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and Malcolm X were both assassinated at 39.
And since we do not have civil rights leaders to live long lives, we don’t necessarily know how to act. We pay kind respect but not always the best way as emerging leaders seek the stage and microphone. It pains me sometimes as I watch them push him to the rear as he patiently watches. Jackson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017, and we have seen him become a little slower and his speech sometimes unclear. Despite this, he continues his work of social justice and equity.
He has opened many doors; he has made a difference and brought change to America that he sometimes is not credited with. His motto is to keep moving, and his attitude is “No Time to Die.” He pushes hard and is relentless, his hallmark: He tires most, who are younger and healthier than he.
Several Personalities Celebrates Jesse’s Contribution to America: Reverend Jesse Jackson is now 80 years old, but in addition to his celebration of life, the community champions the many years behind him that chronicle a legacy of the Civil Rights movement that spans six decades. Jackson’s oldest daughter, Santita Jackson, told TheGrio that the “daddy” she knows and the “institution” of Jesse Jackson who the world recognized was never conflated.
Santita never saw those two pivotal roles ever meet. The reverend’s public life started as a civil rights worker — as Sanita notes, “Dr. King was the architect and [Jesse Jackson] was the builder.” Born in South Carolina, Jesse traveled the South and then settled in the midwestern city of Chicago. He did not know that his decision to adopt Chicago as his home and eventually run for U.S. President would intertwine his legacy with that of the first Black President of the United States, Barack Obama, decades after his own run for the highest office.
Mr. Jackson inspired Black political leaders across the country. According to Santita, Jackson was the first person ever to get a secret service detail the day he announced his candidacy because of the unique nature of his political aspiration. “His presidential runs and his work [have] not been about just getting a Black person into the presidency, getting a Black face in a high place,” Santita explained “It really has been about the establishment of a more peaceful society and a just war.”
During the earliest years of his career, Jesse played an instrumental role in bringing Americans held hostage in other countries back to United States soil. By the 1990s, Reverend Jackson had also been credited by then-President Bill Clinton as the architect of bridging the digital divide. With Jackson by his side, Clinton worked on advancing the nation by providing access to internet services in rural and disadvantaged communities.
Author and Democratic strategist Donna Brazile told TheGrio she spoke with Rev. Jackson on his 80th birthday Friday. She is one of a long line of people who consider him their political father. “Rev. Jesse Jackson inspired a new generation to continue the fight for civil rights, voting rights, and equal justice under the law. Without his bold leadership and courage, we could not have witnessed such profound historic moments like the election of Doug Wilder as governor [of Virginia], Dave Dinkins as mayor [of New York City] and so many others,” Brazile emphasized. “Jackson’s influence continues to this day.”
Santita recalls a Gallup poll in the 1980s in which her dad was considered one of the top three most admired people in the world. Of those on the list, she highlighted that her father lived longer than those he once stood beside — Malcolm, Martin, and Medgar. “I feel very, very blessed,” Santita acknowledged, “God has given him this much time.”
“Jesse’s phone calls are infamous. He has made phone calls and written letters of reference and/or inquiries to open a door or to challenge injustice or explore an opportunity. He has been persuasive. For example, when Oprah Winfrey was fired from her reporter job in Boston, it was Jackson who asked the station manager, rather than firing her, do you have a talk show spot for her. He has done this for many and oh how they forget,” expressed Hermene Hartman, publisher of NDIGO.
“Jackson will be studied for years to come. He is the change of America. There will be books, I hope he writes his own so that we can get his first-hand insights and perspectives. He is innovative and challenging. He should receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work as an activist. Jackson still labels himself as a Freedom Fighter.”
During the earliest years of his career, Jesse played an instrumental role in bringing Americans held hostage in other countries back to United States soil. By the 1990s, Reverend Jackson had also been credited by then-President Bill Clinton as the architect of bridging the digital divide. With Jackson by his side, Clinton worked on advancing the nation by providing access to internet services in rural and disadvantaged communities.
Author and Democratic strategist Donna Brazile told TheGrio she spoke with Rev. Jackson on his 80th birthday Friday. She is one of a long line of people who consider him their political father. “Rev. Jesse Jackson inspired a new generation to continue the fight for civil rights, voting rights, and equal justice under the law. Without his bold leadership and courage, we could not have witnessed such profound historic moments like the election of Doug Wilder as governor [of Virginia], Dave Dinkins as mayor [of New York City] and so many others,” Brazile emphasized. “Jackson’s influence continues to this day.”
Santita recalls a Gallup poll in the 1980s in which her dad was considered one of the top three most admired people in the world. Of those on the list, she highlighted that her father lived longer than those he once stood beside — Malcolm, Martin, and Medgar. “I feel very, very blessed,” Santita acknowledged, “God has given him this much time.”
“Jesse’s phone calls are infamous. He has made phone calls and written letters of reference and/or inquiries to open a door or to challenge injustice or explore an opportunity. He has been persuasive. For example, when Oprah Winfrey was fired from her reporter job in Boston, it was Jackson who asked the station manager, rather than firing her, do you have a talk show spot for her. He has done this for many and oh how they forget,” expressed Hermene Hartman, publisher of NDIGO.
“Jackson will be studied for years to come. He is the change of America. There will be books, I hope he writes his own so that we can get his first-hand insights and perspectives. He is innovative and challenging. He should receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work as an activist. Jackson still labels himself as a Freedom Fighter.”
Rev. Jesse Jackson Celebrated His Birthday and Praised COVID-19 Vaccine: The celebrated Civil Rights leader emphasized “registration vaccination, and education,” during his birthday this week at his Rainbow/PUSH organization’s headquarters in Chicago with family, friends, pastors, and a few Theological students from Ghana, Kenya, and India.
During his birthday party, the Civil Rights leader took a moment to shed light on several social justice issues he believes can damage the progress that’s been made for Blacks in the last 50 years. “We’re in a critical situation,” Jackson said. “We must now organize a different paradigm, a different disposition,” Jackson spoke about his talks with Fidel Castro in the eighties and his meeting with Nelson Mandela after his release from prison in 1990. He also praised the vaccine and encouraged attendees to get vaccinated.
“I could not walk nor talk for three weeks,” Jackson said. “I went to rehab so I could learn how to walk or talk again. You need to know that, God, the shots matter.” His wife, Jacqueline, was also diagnosed with COVID and has since recovered as well. Prior to contracting COVID, Rev. Jackson was marching for voting rights and getting arrested outside of Senator’s offices. “Registration. Vaccination. Education,” Jackson said. “We must get registered to vote, and we must get vaccinated.”
Jackson’s son, Jonathan, also spoke during the event, encouraging attendees to make sure they continue doing the work that his father committed his life to. “My father says, ‘The struggle is then and the struggle is now,’” Jonathan said. “We must be more focused and exacting in our conversations… It’s not the water fountain anymore. It’s not the segregated schools anymore.” The celebration organized by Rainbow/PUSH was one of several birthday events hosted for Rev. Jackson.
The organization he founded took the time to honor him for six decades worth of service. Jackson’s life is still engulfed with his wife Jacqueline Lavinia Brown, whom he married in 1962. Their five children are forever connected together and equally led by Santita Jackson, Jesse, Jr, Jonathan Luther, Yusef Dubois, and Jacqueline Lavinia. “Happy Birthday to a Living Legend and Icon, who can never be replaced,” expressed Carl West.- Public Eye
Source: TBT News
