Leaders reflect on legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson after his death

Local leaders say Jackson’s legacy lives on through continued calls for unity and justice.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Reverend Jesse Jackson, a protégé of Martin Luther King Junior and two-time presidential candidate who led the civil rights movement for decades, died Tuesday at the age of 84. 

Jackson become one of the most well-known civil rights leaders during the civil rights movement in the late 20th and early 21st century, fighting for racial, social and economic justice.

Macon-Bibb County District 3 commissioner Stanley Stewart says to honor Jackson, we have to keep moving forward as a nation. 

He tells 41NBC the greatest impact Jackson had on his life was in 1988 when he ran for president. That moment gave him a sense of hope.  

“And so it was at that time, that it really resonated with me that there’s this great possibility in America,” Stewart said.

Stewart says Jackson inspired his work.

“We’ve been through many difficult days in our nation’s history, but we’ve weathered those days; and we did it together; black, white, red, yellow, and brown,” he said. “We are a band of Americans and we are stronger when we work together. Diversity is our greatest strength.”

U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia says Jackson was a big inspiration when he ran for office. 

“Here I was a kid growing up in public housing, and I got to witness this black man running for president,” Warnock said. “He gave me a glimpse of what is possible, and he taught me to say I am somebody.”

Warnock believes we all need to continue following Jackson’s message.   

“We need the moral example of Rev. Jesse Jackson, who taught us we are better when every child has a chance,” Warnock said. “So now his voice is now silenced, but his example is eternal and that work is left to us.”

And just like Jackson, Stewart feels America can be stronger if we all come together. 

“We have to get to the point where we love one another, care for one another, and realize we are tied in a bond of mutuality that can’t be broken,” he said.