Life Lessons

At Jesse Jackson’s Funeral, I Remembered the America That Still Knows How to Hope

A strong reminder of a nation still worth believing in

Image source: YouTube.com / ABC News

Listening to former Presidents Obama and Clinton and former Vice President Kamala Harris speak at Reverend Jesse Jackson’s funeral reminded me of who America is. The next question is, who am I in this America?

Remembering How It All Started

I spent my childhood growing up in some of the worst neighborhoods of Chicago. My teenage mom lived at 1505 West Adams Street with her mother in a third-floor apartment.

Why do I still remember that address? Because our neighborhood was so bad that if someone bad gotten me, I would know my full name and address when the police came to save me. Those buildings are gone. They tore down those West Side apartments to make a vast sports complex.

How bad was that apartment? A rat bit me on my side when I was a toddler; the scar remains on my side to this day.

My mom met and married my Dad when I was three. They had no additional children until I was five. Four more siblings came to my Catholic parents (and me) in rapid succession. Then, my Dad became a Chicago police officer. We were not housing-or food-insecure, but neither were we actually middle-class.

My parents bought a house on Chicago’s South Side, yes, the baddest side of town, when my father and his brother joined forces to afford the mortgage. Both families lived in that house for years until my uncle bought an apartment building across the street and moved into it.

My parents’ home on 72nd and Stony Island was down the street from both the Black Panthers and the Nation of Islam. When I say down the street, I mean walking distance, just a few blocks.

I was exposed to three very different approaches to the struggle against racism in America. Operations Push was different from the Panthers and the Nation. My friends and I would ride the bus to Push because they had free training in what he called “civil economics.”

Even the name of the organization he founded in 1971, People United To Save/Serve Humanity, aka Operation Push, reflected what Jesse Jackson expected from those of us trying to follow his teachings about economics. That I could be “somebody” was absolutely cemented in my head by that environment.

“I am Somebody! I am Somebody! 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. I may be small

But I am Somebody. I may have made mistakes, But I am Somebody. My clothes are different, My face is different, My hair is different, But I am Somebody. I am black, Brown or white, I speak a different language But I must be respected, Protected, Never rejected. I am God’s child,” Reverend Jesse Jackson

Lifting Others Up

The Black Panthers wanted to help the community right now; the Nation of Islam wanted to uplift our entire race; Operation Push wanted our community to rise above economic obstacles put in our way. A large part of my belief system formed during that time.

My beliefs are that:

· Most people are good.

· You don’t judge a book by its cover,

· People deserve a decent place to live, food, and healthcare.

· You don’t know what you can do until you try.

· You help others if you can, even if it’s not fair, but your share can make it fair

· People deserve a fair shake, no matter their skin color

· Kindness is free; cruelty takes a toll on your soul

· And finally, that we are all somebody

I learned from an environment that included teaching by the Panthers, Black Muslims, and Operation PUSH.

Keeping Hope Alive

Jesse Jackson’s speech at the 1988 Democratic Convention was where he coined his second famous phrase, “Keep Hope Alive.”

You do not know how many times those words have kept me together when life came by and knocked me down. No matter the circumstances, there is a way; there is something you can do to keep hope alive.

As part of “Keeping Hope Alive,” Jesse Jackson ran for President of the United States in 1988 and won 29% of the vote.

“And he did more than just contend: he won 29% of the vote in the Democratic primaries in the 1988 election, a significant increase over the support he received in 1984. What attracted me was his formation of the National Rainbow Coalition. At the 1984 Democratic National Convention, he said: “My constituency is the desperate, the damned, the disinherited, the disrespected, and the despised.” It was hard not to hear an echo of “He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free” (Luke 4:18–19, citing Isaiah 61:1; 58:6; 61:2).” Dean Greg Sterling, Yale Divinity School

I used the sentiment “keep hope alive” to motivate me when things seemed like they would go astray in my life, to positive effect. Hope makes a difference in the intensity and direction of effort when everything appears to go wrong.

Saying Goodbye Made Me Remember Our America

The Reverend Jesse Jackson’s funeral reminded me of who I am in the United States. I am one of many Americans who want a better world for us all.

I happen to be a Black American woman. My skin is now and will always be dark red-brown, but Jesse Jackson taught me that my skin should never stop me from seeking the best opportunities, no matter who holds the position.

If you think they are racist, so what? FORCE THEM TO SHOW YOU WHO THEY ARE.

Multiple times in my career, when I went after a position, I was informed that no woman, especially no Black woman, had ever held the job. I was told the boss was racist, so why even apply? I would think about Jesse Jackson’s 1988 presidential run. I would find out the qualifications for the position, make sure I exceeded them, and then compete for the position. Sometimes I got the job, other times I did not, but I made them acknowledge that I was qualified.

Many times, my interviews were hard, but I knew going in what type of fight it was. When Jesse Jackson ran for President, he knew his chances were slim. That did not stop him from running strongly enough to force the Democratic Party to change how it chooses its presidential candidates.

My competent presence in corporate America upset the status quo at least two companies. How? Once I was in a position of power, I used it to help others. I was taught that doing good is the right thing to do if you have the ability to actually change bad practices. So I did.

We are the United States of America. Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.

It is so easy to get caught up in chaos and forget how many people sacrificed themselves for our freedom — for my freedom. How different would America be without those willing to fight for the rights of the American people? Not just Black people.

Don’t forget those of all races who fought in WWI and WWII. What would the United States be if it had lost? We should never forget our heroes. They fought for all of America. When you thank the military for their service do it sincerely.

The civil rights movement was not just about the moment; it was about making sure the moment lasted. That is what “I Am Somebody” is all about. That is what “Keep Hope Alive” means to me.

No matter where you were or where you started, your life was your own to do with as you pleased. You were a valuable member of our world, no matter how much money you had. Current circumstances did not dictate future success.

That is a lesson we need right now. No matter how cruel and salacious our current leadership is, they will not be in charge forever. Keep Hope Alive.

I can only thank Reverend Jackson for all he did to educate us, so that we can all be somebody.

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[embed]Toni Crowe — Medium Read writing from Toni Crowe on Medium. Sharing the hard lessons I’ve learned in life. Adding truth in a time of lies…tonicrowewriter.medium.com

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Image by Toni Crowe ©All Rights Reserved

Image by Toni Crowe ©All Rights Reserved