The death of Rev. Jesse Jackson at 84 has sent ripples through American politics and the civil rights community. Barack Obama, the first Black president of the United States, took to social media Tuesday with a heartfelt tribute that acknowledged both the personal and professional debt he owes to the legendary activist.
“We stood on his shoulders,” Obama wrote, a simple phrase that carries the weight of decades of struggle and progress.
A Legacy Six Decades in the Making
Jackson’s impact on American society can’t be overstated. For over 60 years, he was at the forefront of movements that reshaped this country. From organizing boycotts and sit-ins during the height of the civil rights era to registering millions of voters who had been systematically excluded from the democratic process, Jackson was relentless. Obama’s statement emphasized Jackson’s core belief that all people are children of God deserving dignity and respect.
That might sound like standard eulogy language, but it was the driving force behind Jackson’s work. He didn’t just advocate for change in America. His push for freedom and democracy extended around the world, making him a truly global figure in the fight for human rights.
The Personal Connection
What makes Obama’s tribute particularly poignant is the deeply personal connection between the two families. Michelle Obama got her first real look at political organizing as a teenager sitting at the Jacksons’ kitchen table in Chicago. That’s not just a footnote in history. That’s the kind of mentorship and exposure that shapes a person’s entire worldview.
Barack Obama himself acknowledged something that has been a point of tension over the years. Jackson’s presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988 “laid the foundation” for Obama’s own historic run to the White House. This is the first time Obama has been so direct about that debt, and it matters.
The Complicated Truth
Here’s where things get interesting. Friends of Jackson have long said he felt Obama didn’t give him enough credit for paving the way. It was a sore spot, a wound that never quite healed. Jackson’s campaigns showed white America that a Black candidate could be taken seriously on the national stage. They built coalitions and proved that the “Rainbow Coalition” wasn’t just a dream.
Obama’s 2008 victory didn’t happen in a vacuum. It happened because Jackson had already done the hard work of changing minds and expanding possibilities. The fact that this acknowledgment comes in a eulogy rather than during Jackson’s lifetime speaks to the complicated nature of their relationship.
Both men were proud. Both had earned the right to be. But sometimes ego and politics get in the way of giving flowers to people while they can still smell them.
What This Moment Means
The passing of Jesse Jackson marks the end of an era. He was one of the last direct connections to the civil rights movement’s most transformative period. He knew Martin Luther King Jr. personally. He was there. He did the work when doing that work could get you killed.
Obama’s tribute, with all its warmth and acknowledgment, raises a question we should all sit with: how often do we wait until someone is gone to finally say what needed to be said all along?
