This Black History Month, we lost a movement legend. Reverend Jesse Jackson, a foremost civil rights activist and community rooted political and religious leader, passed away on February 17th at age 84. In mourning this loss for our country, we’re reflecting on his legacy and asking ourselves how we can honor that legacy as we organize for our freedom.
Jesse Jackson marched and worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Civil Rights Movement. He first became active as a college student, joining sit-ins and demonstrations with the Greensboro chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). In 1965, Jesse Jackson heeded the call of Dr. Martin Luther King by organizing students to drive to Selma in support of a voting rights campaign. By 1966, Jackson was organizing full-time as King’s protege and running Operation Breadbasket in Chicago. Dr. King was so impressed by Jackson’s leadership that he was promoted to become Operation Breadbasket’s national leader. In Chicago, shortly before his tragic assassination, Dr. King told an audience that no one could be “more effective” than Jesse Jackson. Over the course of Jackson’s life he registered millions of new Black voters, ran for president twice, established a multiracial Democratic coalition, and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition (RPC), a multi-racial, multi-issue, progressive, international membership organization fighting for social change.
He tirelessly took action and fought for a better world in various movements for empowerment, peace, civil rights, gender equality, and economic and social justice over the course of his lifetime. He’s remembered for bringing people together on common ground across their differences for the benefit of all, and that includes among different ages.
Jackson appeared on Sesame Street to teach kids of different socioeconomic backgrounds, genders, races, ages, etc. the call and response he was most known for, “I am somebody”. “Here we go,” he tells them.
“I am!” he says.
“I AM!” they repeat.
“Somebody!”
“SOMEBODY!”
From Civil Rights Era rallies to Sesame Street, “I am somebody” taught all of us that we are all people who deserve dignity and respect, and we are worth fighting for. Here at PA Stands Up, we organize across race, place, and generation because we know that we are all worth fighting for. We all deserve the safety, dignity, respect, and resources we need to thrive, and we’re building political power to ensure we get what we need and deserve.
There’s so much we can learn from Rev. Jackson. He built working class power by empowering folks to come together to fight for our collective liberation despite their differences because he knew that fight was more than worthy of our time. It’s up to us to step up and do the same.
We’re organizing for a PA with strong communities where we all have what we need, like affordable housing, a fair state budget, safety from data centers, and more. It’s going to take all of us doing what we can to get there. When we come together, we do have the power to make change, and Jackson’s organizing and working class power building showed us that truth. We’re more alike than we are different, and we need each other to build a PA that truly works for all of us. Join the movement toward a better future for all Pennsylvanians today!
In solidarity,
Sirianna, Hannah, & Alec