Today we mourn the loss of Rev. Jesse Jackson, z”l, a towering pioneer and trailblazing figure in the fight for civil rights, human dignity and American democracy.
Rev. Jackson’s vision of a “Rainbow Coalition” helped shape modern progressive politics, opening the door for a generation of diverse and iconic new leaders that have transformed our nation and our world for the better. He understood that lasting change requires multiracial, multi-faith solidarity rooted in economic justice, voting rights, labor rights, and dignity for working people. His presidential campaigns expanded the electorate, brought young and marginalized voters into the process, and insisted that those who were long under-represented belonged at the center of American democracy.
His record, like that of many lifelong public figures, included moments of humility, of challenge and of growth. In the Jewish tradition, we remember not a person’s mistakes, but their heart and their teshuvah, repentance. What endured was the Reverend’s belief in deep solidarity, including with Jewish leaders and communities, alongside whom he showed up in the fight for Soviet Jewry, Holocaust survivors, and the persecuted Jews of Iran. It was a profound honor for Zioness leaders to join Rev. Jackson in Selma, Alabama last spring on the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, a weekend of unquantifiable significance for the man who carried Dr. King’s legacy forward more than any other individual. Even with his time in such high demand, Rev. Jackson wanted to spend it with a diverse coalition of Jewish activists, led by Sheila Katz and the National Council of Jewish Women, to honor the Black-Jewish partnership and the Good Trouble achieved by this enduring alliance.
We honor Rev. Jesse Jackson, z”l, not with nostalgia, but with action. The Rainbow Coalition was not a slogan but a mandate. The work he advanced remains unfinished, but he left us a vision, a blueprint and a legacy to continue. May his memory be a blessing, and may we carry forward his moral leadership and commitment to justice with courage and clarity.