Local leaders react to Jackson’s passing
Local leaders are remembering the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a champion for social justice and a towering figure in the Civil Rights Movement, who died Tuesday.
Jackson, a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., emerged as a major force in the Civil Rights Movement after King’s assassination, and was also a two‑time presidential candidate.
Jackson founded what became the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and his presidential runs in 1984 and 1988 twice ran for president, energized millions of Black people to register to vote.
“I was profoundly saddened by hearing that news. He was one of the last of the great civil rights leaders, an icon whose passing leaves a void,” said Dr. Norma Thomas, curator of the African American History and Cultural Center in Uniontown. “He was instrumental throughout his life in being able to speak truth to power and leading impactful organizations, and being a role model. He was not afraid to stand up for the rights of all individuals, and if he hadn’t run for president twice, there probably wouldn’t have been a President Barack Obama because he paved the way.”
Thomas called Jackson’s death “a profound loss.”
“We lost another role model, someone who was willing to speak up for all people,” she said. “But Rev. Jackson worked long and labored hard, and after fighting a rare neurological condition, he is not suffering anymore and has earned his right to rest.”
David Gatling Sr., president of the NAACP Washington, called Jackson a “champion of hope and unity who advocated for justice and equality throughout his life,” noting his efforts to press for voting rights and economic opportunities, and his engagement in high-profile diplomatic and human rights efforts, building relationships with world leaders and advocating for peace and the release of prisoners.
“Rev. Jackson’s legacy is a testament to the power of hope and action,” said Gatling. “His commitment to building coalitions across racial and socioeconomic lines continue to inspire international diplomacy.”
Jackson’s “I Am Somebody” poem, which he repeated often, helped to inspire self-worth and dignity in marginalized communities, said Dr. Abolade Ezekiel Olagoke, a sociology professor at Waynesburg University who has taught about Jackson’s tireless fight for equality and opportunity in his classroom.
“He is among the last of that generation of civil rights icons, like John Lewis, who have died, and now they are giving the baton to the next generation to carry on his work,” said Olagoke, who was born in Nigeria but lived for a time in Greenville, S.C., where Jackson was born, and graduated from Wheaton College in Chicago, Ill., where the Rainbow PUSH Coalition is located, and visited the organization.
“I didn’t grow up in the United States, but he and his work made an indelible mark on me,” said Olagoke.
Jackson is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, and their children, who asked that people honor his memory by continuing to fight for the values he lived by and his “unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love.”
Said Gatling, “Rev. Jackson’s work continues to inspire us to strive for a world where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.”
NAACP Chairman Leon W. Russell, Vice Chair Karen Boykin Towns, and President and CEO Derrick Johnson also issued a statement.
“He challenged this nation to live up to its highest ideals, and he reminded our movement that hope is both a strategy and a responsibility. His historic run for president inspired millions and brought race to the forefront of American politics,” the NAACP said.