Reverend Jesse Jackson’s vision for society was rooted in hope. To him, hope was not a lofty, nebulous ideal of a better future, it was grounded in the reality, the hardships, and the struggles each of us experience as we walk through life. It was the freedom to shape your own destiny.
Driven by hope and fueled by his deep love for humanity and an unshakable commitment to the cause of justice, Jesse Jackson never stopped fighting for civil rights and dignity for all. I was also moved by the early role he played as an essential moral voice in the struggle against the climate crisis and environmental racism.
He and I were opponents in the 1988 presidential primaries, but in the years following that competition, we became close friends and allies. As we mourn his loss and reflect on his legacy, let his words that reverberated in the halls of the 1988 Democratic Convention reverberate in our hearts:
“Wherever you are tonight, you can make it. Hold your head high, stick your chest out. You can make it. It gets dark sometimes, but the morning comes. Don’t you surrender. Suffering breeds character, character breeds faith. In the end faith will not disappoint…. Keep hope alive.”