Editor’s Note: The body of the Greenville native and global leader Jesse Jackson, who passed away last month, lay in repose today at the S.C. Statehouse.
Two days after the start of the new year, I traveled from Charleston to Chicago to see the Rev. Jesse Jackson one last time.
When I arrived at the home of one of his sons, Rev. Jackson was lying in a hospital bed. He could no longer speak. He could no longer walk. Within weeks, he would be gone. Despite this, I could sense that he was at peace. There’s a profound courage in knowing that your life is about to end and choosing not to despair. It’s a testament to a life well-lived. We all hope to feel the same when our time comes.
It was an indescribable honor to share some of his final moments. Jesse Jackson was a giant in my life. My father was heavily involved in the civil rights movement here in South Carolina. I grew up in and around that movement and its leaders. During that time, there was no one bigger than Jackson.
I was not born when Jackson, a native of segregated Greenville, ran for president in 1984. I was a toddler when he ran again in 1988. While I was barely walking and talking at the time, that campaign and its impact on our country was a core childhood memory. His run inspired countless others to pursue public service, and while it would be decades until I ran for office, I can trace my motivations to my childhood, my father and Jesse Jackson.
So there in Chicago as I sat next to him on that cold January day, I was overcome with nostalgia and, in some ways, grief. My father passed away years ago. When I looked at Rev. Jackson, I felt his spirit and the memories of my childhood rushing back.
I don’t think I’m alone in saying that. For many Americans, especially Black Americans, Jesse Jackson was larger than life. He represented a movement that pushed our country forward, and he picked up the mantle when its first leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was assassinated.
Jesse Jackson showcased Black political power by running for president twice – and winning the Democratic primary in South Carolina both times. His campaigns led to the end of the winner-take-all system in Democratic presidential primary elections, leveling the playing field for minority candidates. His Rainbow Coalition changed the way the Democratic Party operated, causing it to become more inclusive, diverse and multicultural.
It was Rev. Jackson in 1988 who paved the way for Barack Obama in 2008 and me in 2018 when I ran for the state House of Representatives, defeating a longtime incumbent.
2028 will mark 40 years since that historic campaign. As the Democratic Party searches for a new leader and a coalition that can get us back into the White House, we should take the lessons that Rev. Jackson taught us and used them as guidance.
- We must be the party of working people.
- We must include and elevate the voices of minorities in our communities.
- And we must deliver an agenda that is not simply an alternative to the other side, but one that gives people something to vote for.
S.C. Rep. J.A. Moore, D-S.C., represents parts of Charleston and Berkeley counties in the S.C. House of Representatives.
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