Rev. Jesse Jackson, who passed away Tuesday at age 84, will be remembered not only for his unwavering commitment to civil rights but also for his extraordinary ability to inspire through speech. Throughout his career, Jackson championed causes affecting the poor and disenfranchised, from fair housing to voting access. His voice resonated through his work with the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, during his 1980s presidential campaigns, and later as he supported the Black Lives Matter movement.
Several powerful statements capture the essence of Jackson’s mission and message.
While Jackson didn’t author these words originally, he made this poem his signature rallying call during 1960s demonstrations and even shared it on a 1972 “Sesame Street” appearance:
“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.”
During a Chicago address in the 1970s promoting his PUSH Excel educational program, Jackson connected learning with civic participation:
“Senior high school graduation must be seen as a passage of rites into adulthood. On that graduation day or night, we must put a diploma in one hand symbolizing knowledge and wisdom, and put a voter registration card in that other hand symbolizing power and responsibility.”
Jackson often emphasized action over complaint, stating: “Both tears and sweat are salty, but they render a different result. Tears will get you sympathy; sweat will get you change.”
During his initial presidential bid, Jackson addressed the 1984 Democratic National Convention with this vision of American diversity:
“America is not like a blanket — one piece of unbroken cloth, the same color, the same texture, the same size. America is more like a quilt: many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven and held together by a common thread.”
Four years later, as he came close to securing the Democratic nomination, Jackson delivered his memorable “Keep hope alive” message to delegates:
“You must not surrender. You may or may not get there, but just know that you’re qualified and you hold on and hold out. We must never surrender. America will get better and better. Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive. On tomorrow night and beyond, keep hope alive.”
Speaking to Kansas State University students in November 1993, Jackson challenged young people to combat society’s problems:
“At this stage we are on the defensive as a struggle, as a humane struggle. Fear: it is pushing hope back. Cowardice is pushing courage back. Death is taking the joy of life. Dope is outdistancing hope. Escapism is outdistancing embrace. When youth come alive, you have the energy, the strength, the need, and the moral authority to make America better and the whole world more secure.”
At the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge dedication ceremony in Virginia during September 2008, Jackson spoke about the structure’s symbolic meaning:
“It must lead to more futures and fewer young funerals. It must embrace Dr. King’s last dream, a poor people’s campaign, where all could come together with a job, income, education, and health care. A bridge that leads us from racial battleground to economic common ground. It leads us to healing.”
During a December 2013 address to England’s Cambridge Union Society, Jackson emphasized unity and encouraged young activists:
“Common ground leads to coalition, to cooperation, to reconciliation and redemption, and to higher moral and economic ground. … I want to say to you young people especially — keep reaching beyond your grasp, keep dreaming beyond your circumstances, keep dreaming of a new Europe. When young people move, the world changes.”
