My Lunch with Reverend Jesse Jackson
by Hugh Taft-Morales, BES Leader
Sometimes it pays to be in the right place at the right time. That’s how I felt about my lunch with the Reverend Jesse Jackson – I lucked out. I was visiting the Interfaith Tent at Occupy Philadelphia, and suddenly Rev. Jesse Jackson emerged from a cab and came right up to me and shook my hand. He then continued greeting the others in the growing crowd. I was satisfied with my brief brush with the famous civil rights leader, two-time candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, and current leader of Rainbow/PUSH. When he left, he suggested a press conference for the next day, Monday, November 21, at the Interfaith Tent.
The next day at noon, Rev. Jackson directed a press conference urging the Occupy movement to keep its eyes on the prize. Whether protesters hold their ground or have to move for the winter, “…the Occupy movement is not about this space. It’s about the space between rich and poor, the space between those who have access to medical care and those who don’t, the space between the 1% and the rest.”
When all the news trucks and reporters were gone, Rev. Jackson called me over and invited me and a couple of others from the tent to lunch. I didn’t feel I had earned the thrill of lunch with such an inspirational leader. I was struck by his calm, almost soft-spoken, manner.
He spoke gently about President Johnson’s genius in deracializing the civil rights debate. He noted that the president began his “War on Poverty” in predominantly white rural Appalachia, assuring the broadest support possible. In the same way, today’s Occupy movement must work in broader and broader coalitions, avoiding the splintering that so often plagues progressive movements. This will take, he said with a wry smile, convincing the black clergy that Occupy can be more than a “white hippy and derelict movement.” It’s about inclusion.
Near the end of our meal, another minister asked Rev. Jackson, “What sustains you?” He answered, “Well, we’ve had some victories. It excites me. And you young guys here at this table right now – you are my ‘angels.’”
I know full well that I have not earned such metaphorical wings. So many others have paid a much higher price than I for speaking truth to justice – the ones on the front lines, they are the angels. But Rev. Jackson’s humbling words inspire me to do more to earn his faith.
Rev. Jesse Jackson visiting the Interfaith Tent at Occupy Philadelphia.
BES Leader Hugh Taft-Morales is seated at right.
