Reflections on Campaigning with Jesse Jackson

Monday, January 21, 2013 was a very special day for many Americans as millions of people celebrated, with great pride two prominent historical events.  First was the holiday observance of the late Civil Rights leader, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King, who was cut down by the bullet of an assassin in Memphis, Tennessee on Thursday, April 4, 1968, while lending support to a group of roughly 1300 striking garbage workers. The second and very grand occasion that is still fresh on the minds of many was the second Inauguration of President Barack Obama.

As I prepared myself mentally for the impending MLK Holiday and Inaugural festivities, I took time to reflect on a unique opportunity I had during the waning days of the fierce campaigning of the 2012 Presidential Election. I was honored to climb in the trenches and campaign alongside the legendary civil rights icon, the Rev. Jesse Jackson (who had been with Dr. King in Memphis), in the Hampton Roads area of the highly contested battleground state of Virginia. I was moved and inspired as we traveled to the scheduled events of the day. While listening to the charismatic and inspiring Reverend speak to the various audiences, I became excited and wanted to reach out to as many voters as I could! With each word he spoke, I was struck by his commanding knowledge and understanding of the crucial issues. I could see the passion of his speeches as it was relayed to the faces of those in the audiences as well. The intensity and energy was so great! I thought to myself, “Wow! Rev. Jackson really has voters fired up!” He moved about as if he was the Energizer Bunny, going full-speed ahead. I was mesmerized as he put every ounce of passion and inspiration into each person he spoke with on the importance of voting in the election and why it was equally important to cast that vote to re-elect President Barack Obama. Whether it was on stage in front of a massive audience, the numerous one on one conversation with patrons in the local Cracker Barrel, or in the lobby of the hotel we stayed in, Rev. Jackson was on point, campaigning as if he were running for president himself. Reflecting on the day, I was in awe of all that I had seen him do and the passion that I saw exhibited.

That is when it all clicked. The excitement of working with Rev. Jackson had caused me to overlook his own presidential campaigns of 1984 and 1988. It is no secret that Reverend Jackson is a great orator and has the uncanny ability to personally connect with individuals. However, what I witnessed in Newport News was his ability to draw upon his own personal experience of having campaigned for the presidency. Many of us have forgotten how Jesse Jackson transformed presidential politics in nineteen eighty-four and again four years later in nineteen eighty-eight. With all this on my mind, I cannot help but ask if Monday would have been as special for us had Rev. Jackson been successful. We certainly would not be celebrating the second term of our Nation’s first Black President but rather the fourth. What I can say on this special day is that Rev. Jackson has kept hope alive!

Jesse Jackson Campaigns for President Obama in Virginia