July 19th 2023.
Rev. Jesse Jackson has been a powerful influence in my life for the past 40 years. I remember attending an assembly in high school at a jam-packed arena in Norfolk, Virginia, where thousands of other students were listening to his inspirational message. He spoke about the importance of staying drug-free and focusing on academic achievements. He used a series of rhyming maxims to drive home his point and, when he was done, he asked us to repeat after him: “I am somebody!”
Years later, I had the opportunity to cover his historic bid for the White House in 1988, when he became the first African American to make a serious run for the Democratic nomination. He was able to leverage his position to rework the rules for selecting a Democratic Party nominee, making the process more equitable and inclusive.
Since then, I’ve had the privilege of participating in and working closely with his team on The Wall Street Project Economic Summit. This project has been instrumental in the diversification of capital markets, resulting in black-owned investment banks and asset managers being awarded significant bond and equity underwriting and money management assignments.
Jesse Jackson has made a huge impact in uplifting the lives of people of color, the working class, and the disenfranchised. He has been a tireless advocate for equal opportunity, fiercely fighting for parity in issues ranging from civil and voting rights to workforce and business diversity in Silicon Valley. His achievements were recently acknowledged when he was awarded the Earl G. Graves Sr. Vanguard Award at the Black Men XCEL Summit.
The accomplishments of this civil rights icon have been recognized by many, including President Bill Clinton who awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000, and the South African government who bestowed him with the National Order, the Companions of OR Tambo in 2013. His name is often associated with the phrase “conscience of the nation” for his ability to bring people together on common ground across lines of race, faith, gender, culture, and class. He has truly been a great unifier.
Rev. Jesse Jackson has been a powerful influence in my life for some 40 years now. I remember being a high school junior in Norfolk, Virginia attending an assembly in a jam-packed arena. There were thousands of students in the audience, eagerly awaiting his inspirational message.
His words encouraged us to stay away from drugs and focus on our education. He used rhyming maxims to emphasize his points such as “If my mind can conceive it, my heart can believe it, I know I can achieve it!” and “Down with dope, up with hope!” At the end of his speech, we all rose to our feet and shouted in unison “I am somebody!”
A few years later, I had the opportunity to cover his historic run for the White House in 1988. He was the first to attempt this in the 1984 race, and he came in second with over 1,200 delegates - more than any runner-up in history at that time. To make the selection process for the Democratic nominee more equitable and inclusive, he reworked the rules accordingly.
In recent years, I have had the chance to work closely with his team on The Wall Street Project Economic Summit. This has been a major catalyst in diversifying the capital markets for more than 20 years, resulting in black-owned investment banks and asset managers getting significant bond and equity underwriting and money management assignments from corporate America.
Jesse Jackson has impacted the lives of people of color, the working class, and the disenfranchised. For more than 5 decades, he has been a champion for equal opportunity, fighting for parity in civil and voting rights, workforce diversity, and business diversity in Silicon Valley. This is why he was awarded the Earl G. Graves Sr. Vanguard Award at the Black Men XCEL Summit in August 2019.
He has been vital in addressing the concerns, needs, and aspirations of black Americans in the US. He embodies our hopes for a future where equal opportunity is part of the fabric of our society. His works have been recognized by the highest honors. In 2000, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton and in 2013, the South African government gave him the National Order, the Companions of OR Tambo.
Jackson is often referred to as the “Conscience of the Nation” and the “Great Unifier”. He has challenged America to be inclusive and establish just and humane priorities for everyone's benefit. He has brought people together on common ground across all lines, and his accomplishments are a testament to that.
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