(OPGOV GLOBAL) - The late Reverend Jesse Jackson passed on February 17, prompting numerous municipalities to memorialize him.
On June 10, the Tallahassee city commissioners unanimously voted to change West Carolina Street to Rev. Jesse Jackson Street. The street will also intersect with Martin Luther King Boulevard.
Photo Credit: Facebook / Eastern Connecticut State University
Greenland, South Carolina, his hometown, implemented a similar street name change after he passed.
Jesse Jackson lived in Chicago for several decades, and the city has plans to dedicate part of the Dan Ryan Expressway to him.
The new street name will be called Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Memorial Highway, with legislation coming to make the renaming official as early as this year.
Outside of new street names, Jackson had ceremonies held by communities and local governments.
South Carolina held a ‘Lying in State’ ceremony in their State House, and Chicago had a ‘Lying in Repose’ ceremony inside the Rainbow Push Coalition headquarters.
After several public viewings, the reverend was finally laid to rest in Oakswood Cemetery in Chicago during a private funeral service.
Several prominent figures have been laid to rest at Oakswood. Chicago’s first African-American mayor. Ida B. Wells, Jesse Owens, and Thomas Dorsey are among the numerous African-American figures laid to rest at Oakswood.
Reverend Jackson accumulated dozens of awards and accomplishments over several decades of activism.
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Jackson had been an activist since the 1960’s, founding organizations such as Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition. Jackson merged the two organizations and served as president until 2023, stepping down due to health concerns.
While running the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Jackson became one of the first African-Americans to run for president, nearly earning the Democratic nomination in 1984 and 1988.
Despite never officially winning a nomination, Jesse Jackson’s campaign successfully registered over three million new voters, many of whom were people of color.
Later, Jackson moved on to become a shadow senator. Similar to traditional federal senators, the role is an elected position, and is a designated advocate for the District of Columbia (D.C. area).
Jackson was equally involved in international peace, contributing to several major hostage negotiations, most notably in Cuba (1984) and the Iraq and Kuwait conflict in 1990.
Jackson personally spoke with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad for the release of Lieutenant Robert Goodman, a captured Navy navigator. Despite the Reagan administration's wishes, Jackson was successful in his efforts and was invited to the White House.
Jackson's efforts contributed to the safe return of over 300 hostages, making his civil rights efforts a global talking point.
Outside of elected politics, Reverend Jackson received several prestigious awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000. Former President Bill Clinton praised his creativity and intellect while presenting the award.
In 2021, the Reverend received the Commander of the Legion of Honor from France’s President Emmanuel Macron.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me at jason.f@lead4earth.org and comment on the article.
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