By Mona Austin
"KEEP HOPE ALIVE and I AM SOMEBODY." are the famous words of the Rev. Jesse Jackson who helped Africans Americans forge ahead in a nation that would deny them. He lifted Black people's pride in themselves. Saying "Black is beautiful," he helped the nation understand that Black life mattered and had value and worth in the 70s and 80s.
The towering political and religious figure has died at the age of 84. His health had declined from Parkinsons disease. His family said in a statement that he died peacefully on Tuesday morning. His historic presence as a public servant began as a mentee with MLK when he was a teen. Any reflections on his life would be incomplete without recognizing him as a great American whose diplomacy and negotiating skills benefitted the nation and world from the work on apartheid to Kuwait.
Mr. Jackson's presidential runs in 1984 in 1988 paved the way for Barack Obama, the first Black president. While he never became an elected official he continued to lead in the community as a public servant via the Rainbow PUSH Coalition that the founded. His name will eternally be attached to crafty oratory, peaceful resistance and Black pride.
Ambassador Andrew Young recalled how he boycotted grocery stores with Operation Bread Basket. Carol Mosley Braun called him a gifted galvanizer. Both actions influenced how civil right and social justice advocacy are approached today. The legacy of Rev. Jesses Jackson will continue sprouting for generations to come.
