Jesse Jackson taught me – “I am somebody.” Back in the eighties, I was a fan. This week, as the nation reflects on his life (1941–2026), I find myself both grieving and grappling.

Back then, Jackson stood at the intersection of pulpit and policy. He reminded us of Martin Luther King Jr. while he made his own path into election politics.

Like so many in my generation, I grew up watching him preach politics. From that pulpit the recitation of the poem – “I Am Somebody” was a powerful declaration against invisibility. So many finally felt seen.

But this story began long before the famous declaration. Born in Greenville, South Carolina, to a teenage mother, Jackson’s success inspired many. He joined MLK’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference and rose to national prominence.

After King’s assassination in 1968, Jackson did not retreat. In 1971, he founded Operation PUSH to expand economic opportunities for poor communities. In 1984, he launched the Rainbow Coalition, a multiracial alliance that would reshape Democratic politics.

The icon glittered. It seemed all gold back then.

And then there were the presidential runs. In 1984 and again in 1988, Jackson ran for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States. He did not win but the nation watched with interest.

In 1988, his efforts registered millions of new voters. Jesse Jackson forced the Democrat party platform to include more Black people as candidates.

He also proved that a Black candidate could compete seriously on a national stage. Without those campaigns, it is difficult to imagine the pathway that later opened for Barack Obama.

Internationally, Jesse Jackson bridged protest and diplomacy. He traveled to Cuba and Syria to negotiate the release of American prisoners.

He understood optics and leverage. Jackson understood that moral authority could sometimes open doors politics could not.

But over many years scandals emerged. Icons live public and sometimes messy lives. We began to see the feet of clay.

Jackson’s career was shadowed by controversy. The 1984 “Hymietown” remark – referring to Jewish people with a slur was disastrous. His additional comments suggesting Jewish influence in Andrew Young’s ouster as U.N. ambassador tarnished his brand. Jackson apologized, but the damage lingered.

Later in 2001, he admitted to an extramarital affair and fathering a child outside his marriage. A painful contradiction for a man who built coalition on moral leadership.

It is hard to be an icon for an entire lifetime. The longer you stand in history’s spotlight, the more visible your flaws become.

In 2008, a hot microphone caught him making crude comments about then-candidate Barack Obama. Nearly a fatal mistake within Democrat circles.

There were also disputes about his account of being with King in the last moments in Memphis back in the sixties. His son’s campaign finance conviction in 2013 added another layer of scrutiny.

That does not erase the former years. But it does complicate the icon status.

So how do we remember The Reverend Jesse Jackson?

As a Black woman, I’ll never forget the excitement of first seeing a Black man standing on a national stage. In 1988, when he said, that farmers losing land in Iowa and children going hungry in Chicago were part of the same moral crisis – many believed him. And rightly so.

We must remember that – Keep Hope Alive – was more than a slogan. It was strategic in the lives of many.

We must remember that it was Jesse Jackson who insisted the marginalized were a governing majority waiting to be assembled. We see the power of that today as we reconsider who is marginalized and who is not.

Today, Jackson’s Rainbow vision feels both old-school yet desperately needed. Jesse rightly believed that democracy works best when the ignored stand together.

I hope that he was right and that we can reform this republic.

As we say goodbye at age 84, perhaps the most honest tribute is this: Jesse Jackson was towering, inspirational and courageous yet deeply flawed. But no matter what he kept pushing for fairness.

And maybe the clearest way to close is in his own words:

“Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping them up.”

Rachel Stovall is a Colorado Springs event manager, entertainer and community advocate.