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Civil Rights icon Rev. Jesse Jackson dies at 84
Civil rights icon Reverend Jesse Jackson has passed away at the age of 84 in Chicago. A close colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson was present during King's 1968 assassination and went on to become a global figure for equality through the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
ATLANTA - The cradle of the Civil Rights Movement is mourning the loss of Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died Tuesday at the age of 84.
Jackson rose from obscurity in the segregated South to become one of America's best known civil rights activists since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
King and Jackson: ‘I lost my fear of being jailed’
The backstory:
The founder of the National Rainbow Coalition, now the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, was born about 150 miles from Ebenezer Baptist Church, a short trek compared to the distance his work would have on the furthering of the movement.
However, it was in his hometown where his fight for equality would begin. On July 17, 1960, Jackson was among eight college students arrested for attempting to use the public library. "I remember it like it was yesterday, for that day changed my life forever," Jackson wrote about it in 2017. "From that experience, I lost my fear of being jailed for a righteous cause.
Rev. Jesse Jackson joins markers advocating support for the Hawkins-Humphrey Bill for full employment in 1975. (Thomas O'Halloran | Library of Congress)
It would be five years later when he would meet Dr. King during the historic voting rights movement in Selma, Alabama in March 1965. Jackson, who was studying at the Chicago Theological Seminary, was moved by the images of "Bloody Sunday" on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. He and several of his classmates said they were called to join in the movement.
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference saw Jackson’s "drive and organizational abilities" with the youth. King’s lieutenant, Ralph David Abernathy Sr., would offer him a position in the SCLC. He would be appointed director of Operation Breadbasket, the SCLC's economic arm, which focused on creating jobs and boycotting businesses that discriminated against Black workers.
Jesse Jackson stands alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, and Hosea Williams on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 3, 1968. (Charles Kelly | Library of Congress)
King would reunite with Jackson for the launch of the Chicago Freedom Movement. Jackson soon was part of King’s inner circle and was with him at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 4, 1968. Jackson would witness King fall after being struck by a bullet while standing on the balcony.
Young and Jackson: ‘We were like brothers’
The backstory:
In his organizing of youth, Jackson would find himself on the campus of Morehouse College. It was there that he announced his historic run for President of the United States in 1984.
It is just one of the many historic locations which is feeling the impact of the news of Jackson’s passing on Tuesday.
"As far as I was concerned, we were like brothers," said Andrew Young, former Atlanta mayor and Ambassador to the United Nations during President Jimmy Carter’s administration. "Jesse Jackson was always stepping up."
Young and Jesse Jackson both pledged their lives to equal justice for all of humanity. They were lieutenants of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Young said Jackson was always ready and able to lead.
"If you needed a leader, he would step into it. He’s made a tremendous contribution to this country and to the world," said Young. "It was a real tragedy to me to have to watch him struggling with Parkinson’s disease."
Jackson and Parkinson’s disease: ‘I am far from alone’
Dig deeper:
Jackson would make the announcement of the debilitating disease in November 2017, something which he said "bested" his father.
"Recognition of the effects of this disease on me has been painful, and I have been slow to grasp the gravity of it. For me, a Parkinson's diagnosis is not a stop sign but rather a signal that I must make lifestyle changes and dedicate myself to physical therapy in hopes of slowing the disease’s progression," Jackson wrote.
Rev. Jesse Jackson (FOX 5 Atlanta obtained permission from the rights holder)
Despite the news, Jackson could not pass up an opportunity to inspire and educate.
"I am far from alone. God continues to give me new opportunities to serve. This diagnosis is personal but it is more than that. It is an opportunity for me to use my voice to help in finding a cure for a disease that afflicts 7 to 10 million worldwide. Some 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s every year," he continued.
Jackson and Atlanta: ‘He was a freedom fighter’
Local perspective:
It was this leadership in the face of struggle which inspired those around him and the next generation. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens says he was inspired by Jackson when he was a child.
"His heart, mind and action were always in the right place. He was bold and strong. He had that energy, that strength and that boldness. He spoke truth to power. He talked about, kept hope alive, and I am somebody. I remember as a kid hearing over and over again him saying I am somebody," the current mayor said.
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Civil rights leaders react to Rev. Jesse Jackson's passing
Freedom fighter, civil rights icon, and political activist Jesse Jackson has died at 84-years-old. Civil rights leaders share their thoughts on his legacy, including Atlanta's Mayor Andre Dickens, former UN ambassador Andrew Young, and former Georgia state representative Kasim Reed.
Former Mayors Bill Campbell and Kasim Reed say the world was a better place because of his leadership and persistent work.
"At his heart, he always wanted to have people find equity, and he fought for that all the way through until the bitter end. The world is a better place because of his incredible leadership. He was a freedom fighter and great civil rights activist," Campbell.
"In every movement you had people who are headliners, and that is what he was. Beyond what he was to America in the world, personally he would call and pray with me. And that is what I’ve been thinking about all morning. He would say, if you ever fall down, get up because the ground is no place for a champion," Reed said.
Jackson had pubically backed every Atlanta mayor, from Maynard Jackson to Andre Dickens, creating a legacy of leadership in the city too busy to hate.
All four mayors agree Jackson's legacy is global. They are praying for his family.
The Source: The article draws its information from Rev. Jesse Jackson’s own 2017 writings and public announcements regarding his activism and health. Additional commentary is provided through direct quotes from current Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and former Mayors Andrew Young, Bill Campbell, and Kasim Reed.