Author: Admin

ATLANTA — Survivors of a devastating Georgia school shooting broke down in tears Tuesday as they described the terrifying moments when bullets began flying in their classroom two years ago.

The emotional testimony came during the criminal trial of Colin Gray, whose son Colt Gray is accused of orchestrating the deadly September 4, 2024 attack at a high school northeast of Atlanta. The shooting claimed the lives of four people – two educators and two students – while injuring several others.

One ninth-grader described the moment she discovered a bullet wound in her wrist during the chaos in her Algebra I classroom.

“I was also worried that I was going to die and how that would affect my parents because my dad has a heart problem,” the student testified.

As emergency responders evacuated her from the building, she encountered the suspected shooter restrained on the ground and confronted him directly.

“I remember yelling at him that we were kids, because we were kids,” she said during testimony where her face was not shown due to her age.

The case represents part of a growing national trend where prosecutors seek to hold parents accountable when their children carry out mass shootings.

Colt Gray, just 14 when the attack occurred, is facing 29 criminal charges including second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and multiple counts of cruelty to children.

District Attorney Brad Smith argued in opening statements Monday that Colin Gray bears responsibility for giving his son access to deadly weapons after receiving clear warnings about potential violence.

“This case is about this defendant and his actions in allowing a child that he has custody over access to a firearm and ammunition after being warned that that child was going to harm others,” Smith told jurors.

Defense attorney Brian Hobbs countered that the father couldn’t have prevented what his son deliberately concealed from him.

“That’s the difference between tragedy and criminal liability,” Hobbs argued. “You cannot hold someone criminally responsible for failing to predict what was intentionally hidden from them.”

Investigators revealed that Colt Gray transported a semi-automatic rifle to school hidden in his backpack, with the barrel protruding and concealed by poster board. After leaving his second-period class, he retrieved the weapon from a restroom and opened fire in classrooms and corridors.

The prosecution outlined a disturbing pattern of warning signs that preceded the attack. In September 2021, school officials discovered Colt had searched “how to kill your dad” on a school computer, though authorities later dismissed it as a misunderstanding.

More significantly, 16 months before the shooting in May 2023, federal authorities contacted the family after tracing online threats against an elementary school to their home computer. When questioned about his son’s gun access, Colin Gray assured investigators that they “take this school shooting stuff very seriously.”

Despite these red flags, Colin Gray purchased the rifle as a Christmas gift for his son that year and continued buying accessories and large quantities of ammunition afterward.

Prosecutors revealed that Colin Gray was aware of his son’s disturbing obsession with previous school shooters, including maintaining what they described as a shrine to the Parkland, Florida gunman in his bedroom.

Perhaps most chilling was a text message Colin Gray received from his son just three weeks before the attack: “Whenever something happens, just know the blood is on your hands.”

Court testimony also revealed that Colin Gray recognized his son’s declining mental health and had reached out to counseling services weeks before the shooting.

“We have had a very difficult past couple of years and he needs help. Anger, anxiety, quick to be volatile. I don’t know what to do,” Colin Gray wrote about his son’s condition.

However, prosecutors argue that despite expressing these concerns, Colin Gray failed to follow through on getting his son admitted to an inpatient mental health facility.

SAVANNAH, Ga. — A tragic collision just outside Savannah has claimed the life of a dedicated educator after a man evading federal immigration agents crashed into her vehicle while she was traveling to work, according to law enforcement and school district officials.

The fatal accident occurred Monday when 38-year-old Oscar Vasquez Lopez, a Guatemalan national, attempted to escape during a traffic stop conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Lopez now faces multiple charges including vehicular homicide, reckless driving, and operating a vehicle without proper licensing, and remained behind bars Tuesday. Federal authorities confirm Lopez was residing in the country without legal status.

ICE agents were actively seeking Lopez to carry out a deportation directive issued by an immigration judge in 2024, according to agency spokesperson Lindsay Williams, who noted Tuesday that Lopez had no prior criminal record.

The sequence of events began when Lopez initially complied with officers’ emergency signals and pulled his vehicle to the side of the road, Williams explained. However, as agents approached, Lopez suddenly accelerated away from the scene, executed a dangerous U-turn, and ran through a red traffic signal before the devastating collision occurred.

When questioned about whether federal officers pursued the fleeing vehicle, Williams clarified: “Chased? I wouldn’t say that. They followed him until he crashed.”

Williams could not specify the distance Lopez traveled before the fatal impact.

School district officials have identified the victim as Linda Davis, who taught special education students at Herman W. Hesse K-8 School in the Savannah-Chatham County system.

Davis earned deep respect throughout her school community, according to Principal Alonna McMullen.

“She dedicated her career to ensuring that every child felt supported, valued, and capable of success,” McMullen stated in an official announcement. “Her kindness, patience, and enthusiasm created a nurturing environment for her students and inspired those around her.”

The deadly collision took place within half a mile of Davis’s workplace. Although students enjoyed a holiday Monday for Presidents Day, teaching staff were scheduled to report for duty. District spokesperson Sheila Blanco confirmed Davis was en route to the school when the accident occurred.

As of Tuesday, jail documentation showed no legal representation had been assigned to Lopez, and bond information was not available. Court records had not yet reflected his case details.

The incident comes amid heightened examination of federal immigration enforcement methods during the current administration’s expanded efforts to address unauthorized immigration, particularly following a recent fatal shooting involving ICE agents in Minneapolis that killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Department of Homeland Security representative Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement criticizing “politicians and the media constantly demonizing ICE officers and encouraging those here illegally to resist arrest.”

Chatham County police confirmed they had no advance knowledge of the federal operation or the traffic stop that preceded the fatal crash.

Area leaders are questioning whether Davis’s death could have been avoided through different enforcement approaches.

“I’ve always been and remain very concerned about the activities of ICE in cities, particularly where they’re not coordinating or communicating,” Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, who previously served in law enforcement, told media representatives Tuesday.

“What this individual was wanted for, did it necessitate the end result?” Johnson asked.

Chester Ellis, who chairs the Chatham County Board of Commissioners, pointed to local police department restrictions that permit vehicle pursuits only when officers suspect violent felony activity is involved or imminent.

“The no-chase policy is to help protect our citizens more than it is anything else,” Ellis explained to WTOC-TV. “So there may have been a different way to corner the individual so that he could not run, or that he could not cause the accident that took the life of Dr. Davis.”

WASHINGTON — American military forces announced Tuesday they launched operations against three vessels suspected of drug trafficking in Latin American waters, resulting in 11 deaths during one of the most lethal days in an ongoing monthslong operation.

Monday’s operations increased the total number of fatalities to a minimum of 145 individuals since the current administration initiated its campaign against what it terms “narcoterrorists” operating small watercraft beginning in early September.

According to U.S. Southern Command, the military targeted suspected narcotics traffickers operating along established smuggling corridors, consistent with most statements regarding the 42 documented operations. Officials reported that two watercraft, each carrying four individuals, were struck in eastern Pacific waters, while a third vessel with three occupants was targeted in Caribbean waters. Military officials released video footage showing the destruction of boats but provided no documentation proving the vessels contained illegal narcotics.

President Donald Trump has declared the United States is engaged in “armed conflict” with Latin American cartels and has defended these operations as essential measures to interrupt drug trafficking. However, the administration has provided minimal evidence supporting its assertions about eliminating “narcoterrorists.”

A 64-year-old man who served more than four decades behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit has been refused bail while challenging his removal from the United States.

Subramanyam Vedam will continue to be held in federal custody as he contests a deportation order from 1999. The Board of Immigration Appeals decided this month to review his case, citing what they termed extraordinary circumstances.

During the previous administration, officials had sought Vedam’s swift removal from the country and transferred him to a Louisiana detention facility last fall before two courts stepped in to halt the process.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Vedam’s attorney contended that her client would likely have avoided deportation and obtained citizenship if the murder case hadn’t derailed his life, considering the immigration policies that existed then. Attorney Ava Benach explained that Vedam would have completed his sentence on drug charges by 1992.

“It was delivery of LSD on a very small scale. This is not importing tons of cocaine,” Benach stated during Tuesday’s proceedings. “He is not a danger to the community. We are talking about offenses that occurred over 40 years ago.”

Last August, a Pennsylvania court dismissed Vedam’s murder conviction related to the 1980 killing of a college acquaintance, after discovering that prosecutors had concealed ballistics evidence during his two trials. Among those who participated remotely in the bail hearing were a Centre County prosecutor and State College’s mayor, where Vedam’s deceased father had served as a distinguished Penn State University professor, according to Benach.

Immigration Judge Tamar Wilson, presiding from Elizabeth, New Jersey, ruled that detention remains required due to his felony drug conviction. She also sided with Department of Homeland Security officials who maintain he poses a public safety threat.

“The fact he’s been a ‘model prisoner’ does not suggest that out in the general public he’s going to be safe,” Wilson stated.

Officials have not yet determined whether Wilson or another judge will preside over the deportation case proceedings. No future hearings have been set.

“Subu is nothing if not resilient, and we’re resolved to emulate the example he sets for us by focusing on the next step in his fight for freedom. We continue to believe his immigration case is strong and look forward to the day we can be together again,” his sister Saraswathi Vedam said, using his family nickname.

She had planned to take him home following his release from state prison on October 3rd, only to watch federal immigration authorities take him into custody instead. Vedam had entered the United States lawfully from India as an infant when his parents returned to State College.

“He was someone who’s suffered a profound injustice,” Benach told The Associated Press previously. “Those 43 years aren’t a blank slate. He lived a remarkable experience in prison.”

Vedam is currently detained at a 1,800-capacity U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in central Pennsylvania.

“Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S,” a Department of Homeland Security representative said regarding the case last year.

WASHINGTON – Military officials announced Tuesday that U.S. Southern Command executed three separate operations against suspected drug trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, resulting in the deaths of 11 individuals.

The casualties were distributed across the three operations, with the first strike resulting in four deaths, the second claiming four more lives, and the final operation killing three people, military officials reported.

“Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” SOUTHCOM said in a post on X.

The military command did not provide additional details about the timing or specific locations of the strikes in their Tuesday announcement.

CHICAGO (AP) — When the Rev. Jesse Jackson emerged as a leading voice in what began as primarily a Southern civil rights movement — a cause with significant work still ahead — he became a vital connection between eras.

Jackson built connections spanning from the South’s struggle against Jim Crow laws to the North’s fight against institutional racism, linking the formal, traditional generation surrounding King with the dashiki-clad Black Power movement leaders and today’s hip-hop era activists. He successfully connected seemingly impossible aspirations with real political influence.

“From Martin Luther King to Barack Obama, there’s a bridge called Jesse Jackson,” the Rev. Al Sharpton said.

The civil rights leader, who served as a student of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and continued leading the movement for decades following the beloved leader’s murder, passed away Tuesday according to his family. Jackson was 84 years old.

For more than fifty years, Jackson maintained his public fight for racial equality, economic and political participation, and civil and human rights, continuing even as a neurological condition in recent years impacted his mobility and speech capabilities.

Jackson remained active by commenting on political developments, standing with families of Black Americans killed by law enforcement, and joining COVID-19 vaccination campaigns to address hesitancy in Black communities. His career encompassed presidential campaigns, international diplomatic efforts, and reshaping America’s vocabulary around racial identity.

Though Jackson wasn’t the powerful force he once was in his final years, his participation in racial justice demonstrations and COVID-19 advocacy events, plus his arrest near the U.S. Capitol while demanding Congress eliminate the filibuster to safeguard voting rights, showed he remained determined to fight.

“We’ve always had a place for him,” said the Rev. William Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign and among many activists who followed his example. Jackson encouraged them to “live life so that it’s not your alarm clock that awakes you in the morning, but a purpose. … A purpose will get you up when you want to stay down.”

During George Floyd’s memorial service, Jackson’s anguished cry of “I can’t breathe!” cut through the quiet atmosphere of a Minneapolis cathedral. He repeated the phrase two more times as minutes passed, representing the duration Floyd endured with a police officer’s knee on his neck.

This wasn’t simply Jackson expressing his personal sorrow over Floyd’s killing, which triggered worldwide protests against racial injustice. It demonstrated that his voice maintained the unique power that made him an international symbol for civil and human rights for decades.

Jackson returned to energize protesters marching through Minneapolis streets and stood alongside Floyd’s family when a jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder in Floyd’s death. “Even if we win,” he told the demonstrators, “it’s relief, not victory. They’re still killing our people. Stop the violence, save the children. Keep hope alive.”

“I think the fact that he came and then came back for the judge’s verdict, suffering with Parkinson’s, shows the determination that Jesse Jackson had all the way to the end,” Sharpton said about his longtime mentor. “He once said to me, years before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, ‘I’m not going to stop until I drop. I’m going to die on the battlefield.’”

During the early COVID-19 pandemic period, Jackson received his vaccination and encouraged others to do the same. He highlighted racial inequalities in healthcare and worked with the National Medical Association, representing Black doctors and patients, on a public health initiative to enhance testing and treatment information and recruit more African Americans into medicine.

“It’s America’s unfinished business — we’re free, but not equal,” Jackson told The Associated Press in a 2020 interview. “There’s a reality check that has been brought by the coronavirus, that exposes the weakness and the opportunity.”

Jackson faced criticism from both inside and outside the Black community. Some viewed him as someone who sought attention, too eager to find the spotlight.

Jackson became widely recognized for appearing in photographs captured shortly after King’s assassination on a Memphis hotel balcony on April 4, 1968. For two days following, Jackson wore a turtleneck he claimed was stained with the respected civil rights leader’s blood, including during a King memorial service where he addressed the Chicago City Council: “I come here with a heavy heart because on my chest is the stain of blood from Dr. King’s head.”

Twenty years later, Jackson created history with his White House campaigns. Before Barack Obama’s 2008 victory, Jackson represented the most successful Black presidential candidate in U.S. history, capturing 13 primaries and caucuses for the Democratic nomination in 1988, four years following his initial unsuccessful bid.

“I was able to run for the presidency twice and redefine what was possible; it raised the lid for women and other people of color,” he told the AP in 2011. “Part of my job was to sow seeds of the possibilities.”

Jackson’s influence on American culture included changing the nation’s language around race and identity. In 1988, he joined other leaders in advocating that Black people should be called “African Americans,” creating an identity that recognized both the population’s heritage and their American citizenship.

Through founding and leading Operation PUSH, which later became the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Jackson transformed demands for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardroom pressure, pushing executives to create a more inclusive and fair society. His notable diplomatic achievements included securing the release of American civilians overseas during international conflicts.

Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. was born Oct. 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, to Helen Burns, an unmarried high school student, and Noah Louis Robinson, a married neighbor. Jackson was subsequently adopted by Charles Henry Jackson, who wed his mother.

Jackson served as quarterback at Sterling High School in Greenville and received a football scholarship to the University of Illinois, but said he was informed Black people couldn’t play quarterback. He then transferred to North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, arriving shortly after students there began the sit-in movement to integrate Southern restaurants. He became starting quarterback, student body president, and an honor student in sociology and economics.

Jackson quickly began organizing demonstrations and traveled to Alabama to meet King during the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery. Since he was moving to Chicago for theological studies, King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference gave him responsibility for starting Operation Breadbasket, an effort to pressure companies into hiring more Black employees.

He later described his time with King as “a phenomenal four years of work,” learning how to push for social change within legal boundaries.

The continuous campaigns often meant his college sweetheart, whom he married in 1963, Jacqueline Lavinia Brown, took primary responsibility for raising their five children: Santita Jackson, Yusef DuBois Jackson, Jacqueline Lavinia Jackson Jr., and two future congressmen, former Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr., and Rep. Jonathan Luther Jackson. A regular houseguest was Santita’s friend Michelle Robinson, the future first lady.

Jackson, ordained as a Baptist minister in 1968 and earning his Master of Divinity in 2000, also admitted to fathering a child, Ashley Jackson, with Rainbow/PUSH employee Karen L. Stanford. He said he understood the experience of being born outside marriage and was providing her emotional and financial support.

After the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Jackson separated in 1971, Jackson established his own comprehensive civil rights organization on Chicago’s South Side, with goals ranging from community social services to convincing corporate leaders to hire more minorities. He created the Rainbow Coalition following his first presidential campaign, then combined the political and social justice organizations into the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in 1996.

While Jackson was recognized for his compelling voice, his statements sometimes created problems. In 1984, he apologized for referring to New York City as “Hymietown,” a slur against the city’s substantial Jewish population, in what he said he thought were private remarks to a journalist.

In July 2008, he made news when an open microphone captured him criticizing that Obama was “talking down to Black people.” Despite this, tears flowed down his face when he joined the massive crowd in Chicago’s Grant Park celebrating Obama’s 2008 election victory.

“I wish for a moment that Dr. King or (assassinated civil rights leader) Medgar Evers … could’ve just been there for 30 seconds to see the fruits of their labor,” he told the AP years later. “I became overwhelmed. It was the joy and the journey.”

A gunman opened fire during a youth hockey game at a Rhode Island ice arena Monday afternoon, fatally shooting two adults and wounding three others before a spectator intervened to help stop the violence, according to police.

The deadly incident occurred at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, located just outside Providence. By Monday evening, investigators had interviewed nearly 100 witnesses as they work to understand what led to the shooting.

Police Chief Tina Goncalves announced Monday that the gunman died from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, though the investigation continues.

Goncalves praised an unidentified spectator who stepped in during the attack, saying the “good Samaritan” helped bring the violence “to a swift end.” The chief did not elaborate on how the individual intervened.

The motive behind the shooting remains unclear, as does whether specific individuals were targeted. Unconfirmed social media footage appears to show the moment gunshots rang out, with players scrambling for safety on the ice while spectators and those on team benches sought cover.

“It appears that this was a targeted event, that it may be a family dispute,” Goncalves stated. Officials confirmed both fatalities were adults but have not yet identified the victims.

The shooter was identified as Robert Dorgan, who also used the name Roberta Esposito and was born in 1969, according to Goncalves.

This tragedy follows another devastating shooting that shook Rhode Island nearly two months ago at Brown University, where two students were killed and nine others injured, along with a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor. In that case, authorities later discovered 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente dead from a self-inflicted gunshot at a New Hampshire storage unit.

Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee expressed his grief in a public statement, saying “Our state is grieving again.” He added, “As governor, a parent, and a former coach, my heart breaks for the victims, families, students, and everyone impacted by the devastating shooting at Lynch Arena in Pawtucket.”

Tributes are flooding in following the passing of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, the influential civil rights leader who spent decades at the forefront of America’s fight for equality. Jackson, who worked alongside Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and made two historic runs for the presidency, was 84 years old.

Rev. Bernice King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter, remembered Jackson’s diplomatic skills and commitment to unity.

“He was a gifted negotiator and a courageous bridge‑builder, serving humanity by bringing calm into tense rooms and creating pathways where none existed. My family shares a long and meaningful history with him, rooted in a shared commitment to justice and love. As we grieve, we give thanks for a life that pushed hope into weary places,” King said.

Rev. Al Sharpton, who considered Jackson a mentor, shared an emotional remembrance of the man who shaped his calling.

“Today, I lost the man who first called me into purpose when I was just twelve years old. And our nation lost one of its greatest moral voices. The Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson was not simply a civil rights leader; he was a movement unto himself. He carried history in his footsteps and hope in his voice. One of the greatest honors of my life was learning at his side. He reminded me that faith without action is just noise. He taught me that protest must have purpose, that faith must have feet, and that justice is not seasonal, it is daily work,” Sharpton stated.

President Donald Trump reflected on his personal relationship with Jackson, highlighting his character and charisma.

“I knew him well, long before becoming President. He was a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and ‘street smarts.’ He was very gregarious ‑ Someone who truly loved people! … Jesse was a force of nature like few others before him,” Trump said.

Illinois Representative Danny Davis, whose Chicago district was familiar to Jackson, emphasized how the civil rights leader’s influence will continue through his family’s ongoing public service.

“So I extend condolences to his family. Mrs. Jackie Jackson, all of his children, and the work that he has done will continue, because they are all seriously involved in public decision-making. And so though he will be gone, he will continue to live on,” Davis remarked.

Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, who serves as senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church where Dr. King once preached, spoke about Jackson’s personal impact and distinctive speaking style.

“As a kid growing up in public housing while watching him run for President, Rev. Jesse Jackson gave me a glimpse of what is possible and taught me to say, ‘I am somebody!’ As an adult, I was proud to call him a friend. With an eloquence and rhythmic rhetoric all his own, Jesse Jackson reminded America that equal justice is not inevitable; it requires vigilance and commitment, and for freedom fighters, sacrifice. His ministry was poetry and spiritual power in the public square. He advanced King’s dream and bent the arc of history closer to justice,” Warnock said.

NAACP leadership issued a joint statement honoring Jackson’s contributions to the organization and the broader civil rights movement.

“Reverend Jesse Jackson was not only a civil rights icon—he was family to the NAACP. His work advanced Black America at every turn. He challenged this nation to live up to its highest ideals, and he reminded our movement that hope is both a strategy and a responsibility. His historic run for president inspired millions and brought race to the forefront of American politics,” said NAACP Chairman Leon W. Russell, Vice Chair Karen Boykin Towns and President & CEO Derrick Johnson.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged Jackson’s international advocacy, particularly his opposition to apartheid.

“His campaigns for an end to apartheid included disinvestment from the apartheid economy and challenging the support the regime enjoyed in certain circles and institutions internationally. We are deeply indebted to the energy, principled clarity and personal risk with which he supported our struggle and campaigned for freedom and equality in other parts of the world,” Ramaphosa said.

The nation mourns the passing of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, a towering civil rights leader who dedicated his life to fighting for justice and equality. The 84-year-old activist, who served as a protégé to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and made two historic runs for president, died Tuesday at his Chicago residence with loved ones by his side.

Throughout his remarkable career, Jackson championed causes for America’s most vulnerable populations, tackling everything from voting access and employment discrimination to educational reform and healthcare disparities. His work extended far beyond U.S. borders, where he secured notable diplomatic achievements with international leaders. Through his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Jackson transformed calls for Black empowerment and self-reliance into concrete corporate reforms, compelling business leaders to create a more inclusive and fair society.

Jackson became synonymous with his empowering message delivered through a poem he frequently shared: “I am Somebody.” His words resonated across racial lines as he declared, “I may be poor, but I am Somebody; I may be young; but I am Somebody; I may be on welfare, but I am Somebody,” establishing himself as the most prominent civil rights voice following King’s legacy.

His daughter Santita Jackson verified that her father passed peacefully at his Chicago home with family members present.

Tributes have flooded in from across the political and social spectrum. Kristen Clarke, who served as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights under President Biden, emphasized that Jackson’s influence “can be felt in virtually every aspect of American life.”

“A tireless and extraordinary public servant, his charge to all of us was to stay hopeful, keep up the good fight and respect the dignity and humanity of all people,” Clarke said in an emailed statement on Tuesday. “Jackson has been, and will always be, a central part of the story regarding America’s ongoing quest for justice and equality.”

Martin Luther King III and his spouse Andrea King described Jackson’s unique role in American history. “Jackson was more than a civil rights advocate—he was a living bridge between generations, carrying forward the unfinished work and sacred promise of the Civil Rights Movement,” they stated.

“He walked with courage when the road was uncertain, spoke with conviction when the truth was inconvenient, and stood with the poor, the marginalized, and the forgotten when it was not popular to do so. His life was a testament to the power of faith in action—faith that justice could be won, that dignity belongs to every person, and that love must always have the final word.”

“May his memory be a wellspring of strength and courage for all who continue the sacred work to which he gave his life. As he so often reminded us, ‘Keep hope alive.’”

Bishop William J. Barber II, co-founder of the Poor People’s Campaign, reflected on Jackson’s spiritual impact and personal mentorship. “Jesse Jackson was a gift from God and a witness that God exists in the ways he cared for and lifted all people, the way he called forth a rainbow coalition of people to challenge economic and social inequality from the pulpit to a historic presidential run, the way he dared to keep hope alive whenever the nation struggled with being who she says she is and yet ought to be,” Barber said.

“When I was a college student, he was a gift to me as a mentor, and it has been my great privilege to have him walk alongside me through my whole public ministry,” Barber continued. “May we all take up his hope for the America that has never yet been but nevertheless must be.”

Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, who also serves as senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church where the King family worshipped, praised Jackson’s moral leadership. “America has lost one of its great moral voices. Reverend Jesse Jackson spent his life working to ensure our nation lives up to its highest ideals. From his early days as a young staffer with Dr. King onto the national stage, he fought for freedom, racial justice, equality, and for the human dignity of the marginalized and the poor,” Warnock said.

“With an eloquence and rhythmic rhetoric all his own, Jesse Jackson reminded America that equal justice is not inevitable; it requires vigilance and commitment, and for freedom fighters, sacrifice. His ministry was poetry and spiritual power in the public square. He advanced King’s dream and bent the arc of history closer to justice,” Warnock added.

Jackson’s international activism also drew recognition, particularly his work opposing South African apartheid. After visiting South Africa in July 1979 following Steve Biko’s death, Jackson became a fierce advocate for American sanctions against the apartheid government while supporting Nelson Mandela’s freedom movement.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged Jackson’s global impact, stating: “His campaigns for an end to apartheid included disinvestment from the apartheid economy and challenging the support the regime enjoyed in certain circles and institutions internationally. We are deeply indebted to the energy, principled clarity and personal risk with which he supported our struggle and campaigned for freedom and equality in other parts of the world.”

Rev. Al Sharpton, who considered Jackson a mentor, shared deeply personal reflections on their relationship. “Today, I lost the man who first called me into purpose when I was just twelve years old. And our nation lost one of its greatest moral voices. The Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson was not simply a civil rights leader; he was a movement unto himself. He carried history in his footsteps and hope in his voice,” Sharpton said.

“One of the greatest honors of my life was learning at his side. He reminded me that faith without action is just noise. He taught me that protest must have purpose, that faith must have feet, and that justice is not seasonal, it is daily work.”

Rev. Bernice King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., highlighted Jackson’s skills as a peacemaker. “He was a gifted negotiator and a courageous bridge‑builder, serving humanity by bringing calm into tense rooms and creating pathways where none existed,” she said.

“My family shares a long and meaningful history with him, rooted in a shared commitment to justice and love. As we grieve, we give thanks for a life that pushed hope into weary places.”

Even President Trump offered his condolences through social media, calling Jackson “a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and ‘street smarts.’” The Republican president described Jackson as “very gregarious -Someone who truly loved people!”

“He loved his family greatly, and to them I send my deepest sympathies and condolences. Jesse will be missed!” Trump wrote.

Young Americans are stepping away from the dating scene at alarming rates, according to fresh research that adds another layer to ongoing concerns about changing social patterns among this generation. The Institute for Family Studies has published findings showing that more than two-thirds of young adults seldom participate in dating or avoid it entirely.

Financial hardship stands as the leading obstacle preventing young people from pursuing romantic relationships, with most respondents indicating they lack sufficient funds for dating activities. However, researchers also point to growing levels of social anxiety among this demographic, along with an increasing preoccupation with digital entertainment and online interactions as contributing factors to this dating decline.

This trend aligns with other documented shifts in young adult behavior, including reduced marriage rates and declining birth rates, painting a picture of a generation that is fundamentally altering traditional relationship milestones.