By James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D.
Texas Metro News
https://texasmetronews.com
Our country has been known to have great leaders. It has been one of our strengths and the foundation for our democracy. Everyday life is better as it always gets us to a brighter day. Our leaders have paved the way.
We lost a great leader recently as Reverend Jesse Jackson went on home to be with the Lord. His legacy is intact and his contributions to the world will be emblazoned in its landscape forever. The scripture does say, “well done my good and faithful servant”. That Biblical verse incapsulates the work he did over his lifetime.
He was a servant leader long before the term was coined. He was selfless, always looking to empower others. Reverend Jackson had the unique ability to give you comfort and encouragement.
One of his signature expressions was, “keep hope alive”. Those three words impacted millions of people including me. It is the eternal optimism that is embodied in that phrase. No matter how dark and dismal the way looks, if you keep hope alive, it will give you a chance to get up and start anew.
Operation PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity) was founded by Reverend Jesse Jackson in 1971. Its overall goal was to provide economic, educational and business opportunities to marginalized communities. Proudly, some many years ago now, I became a member of PUSH, and I wear my lapel pin with pride.
His charisma brightened the room, and you always left better than you came. He simply had a way of making you feel good about yourself. While important, he was approachable. While highly educated, he related to everyone. With a job or without a job, he cared about you.
Whenever he spoke, America listened. He spoke about the inequalities that many Americans were experiencing in their lives. He talked about the importance of voting and that every vote mattered. Reverend Jackson ran for the presidency on two separate occasions.
He spoke poignantly about the fact that everybody is somebody. He said, “I may have made some mistakes, but I am somebody. My clothes are different, my face is different, my hair is different, but I am somebody”.
Reverend Jesse Jackson was one of the greatest American leaders of all time. Simply put, he is a legend and that sentiment is shared by many people across this land.
Reverend Bernice King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “He was a gifted negotiator and a courageous bridge-builder, serving humanity by bringing calm into tense rooms and creating pathways where none existed.”
Reverend Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network said, “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. He reminded me that faith without action is just noise.”
The profound yet simple message in his life was to do something that will make life better for someone else. The change for better only comes when we do something to make the change.
Change sometimes cannot be a team endeavor. You can’t always get people to join you in doing what is right. It is better to stand alone and fight than to stand with others and be still.
Humbly, I have been in Reverend Jackson’s presence and have taken some pictures with him. Meeting him and talking with him were defining moments in my life. His beacon of hope became a mantra for me and for countless others.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities will always stand tall because of men like Reverend Jesse Jackson. He is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro NC. The homegoing service for Reverend Jesse Jackson was held on Friday, March 6th at the House of Hope in Chicago Illinois. He is gone from our everyday lives but never from our everlasting hearts.
Dr. James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D. is a long-time educator who hails from Winston Salem, N.C. Ewers is a life member of the NAACP and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
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