Rev. Jesse Jackson’s lifetime of advocacy had a profound impact on local and national leaders. All photos: Wikimedia Commons.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a protege of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who propelled the civil rights movement for nearly six decades following the fellow Baptist minister’s death, died Tuesday. He was 84.
Jackson, known for his stirring eloquence and galvanizing populism, died peacefully surrounded by loved ones, according to his family. The Greenville, South Carolina, native and Chicago resident’s passing reverberated throughout the nation, including in St. Petersburg.
A lifetime of advocating for marginalized groups – specifically, African Americans, the working class, and the impoverished – brought Jackson to the Tampa Bay area on multiple occasions. In April 1994, he led 400 people on a march against drugs and violence in South St. Petersburg.
“Jesus was killed because he stirred up the people,” Jackson said at the time. “Is it not our mission to stir up people?”
Rev. Jesse Jackson (second from left) on the 45th anniversary of the Civil Rights March in August 2008.
Here are some local reactions to Jackson’s death:
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition, a political movement that asserted influence by uniting disparate demographics, “reminded us that progress is strongest when it is inclusive- when people of every race, background, neighborhood around shared opportunity and shared responsibility.”
“Today, we mourn the passing of Rev. Jesse Jackson – a civil rights giant whose life’s work challenged America to live up to its highest ideals,” Welch wrote. “His call for justice, economic empowerment, and dignity for all continues to resonate.”
Esther Sanni, president of the St.Petersburg branch of the NAACP, said Jackson, shown in a picture with King, “reminded us that our votes matter. Our voices matter. Our lives matter.” The organization added that, “We stand on shoulders that were willing to be burdened so we could stand taller.”
Pinellas County Commissioner Rene Flowers shared that Jackson was not only “more than a pastor,” he was a “fighter for voting rights, fair wages, housing, medical services, Black farmers, education, and so much more.” She noted how the civil rights leader gained international prominence in the 1980s and 90s for negotiating the release of American hostages and prisoners, notably in Syria, Iraq, and Cuba.
City Councilmember Corey Givens, Jr. wrote that a “giant has fallen asleep,” and “another chapter in the history books has closed.” He included a passage from the Bible to underscore the message.
Rev. J.C. Pritchett II offered the following statement: “Rev Jackson has led a life that shows the way for future social justice leaders to move, act, and change. The current climate calls for us to follow and exceed the work of the ancestors.”
Jackson’s “courage, compassion, and steadfast advocacy reshaped our nation,” wrote the Pinellas County Urban League. The organization added that “though his voice may now be silent, the spirit of his work continues to move us forward.”
Rev. Jesse Jackson (center) participates in a rally for workforce equality in January 1971.
Here are some national reactions to Jesse Jackson’s death:
Martin Luther King III and his wife, Arndrea Waters King, called Jackson a “living bridge between generations,” who carried the “unfinished work and sacred promise of the civil rights movement.”
“He walked with courage when the road was uncertain, spoke with conviction when the truth was inconvenient, and stood with the poor, the marginalized, and the forgotten when it was not popular to do so,” they said in a prepared statement.
Rev. Al Sharpton noted that Jackson “called me into purpose when I was just twelve years old.” He said the civil rights icon was a “movement unto himself.”
Former President Barack Obama said his wife, Michelle, received her “first glimpse” of political organizing while sitting at the Jackson family’s kitchen table as a teenager. “And in his two historic runs for president, he laid the foundation for my own campaign to the highest office of the land.”
“From organizing boycotts and sit-ins, to registering millions of voters, to advocating for freedom and democracy around the world, he was relentless in his belief that we are all children of God, deserving of dignity and respect,” Obama said of Jackson.
Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks at the Milwaukee Solidarity Rally in August 1991.
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