The Oratory of Jesse Jackson

Abstract

The African American Hall of Fame at Morehouse College sits in the upstairs level of the Martin Luther King, Jr International Chapel. On 2 October 2014, at a conference on networking and entrepreneur-ship, the Reverend Jesse Jackson rose to his feet, approached a podium, and began to speak. Nearly 73 years of age, his voice was soft but dynamic. Surrounded by photos of his friend and martyr Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, Jackson told college students about the necessity of voting. When one student asked him what led him to join the fight for Civil Rights, his answer was compelling. He told students a story of his failed attempt to use a public library, ousted simply because of his race. As he joined with others to pursue justice and equality, in his own words, ‘Something happened.’ That something was the call on his life that would lead him to work with and march with Martin Luther King, Jr and countless others. That something was what would lead him to change the course of Democratic politics. That something was what captivated this particular audience some 30 years after his first iconic run for President of the United States of America.