THE NATIONAL TREASURE

Thoughts on the Greatness of the Reverend Jesse Jackson

Many will think it is strange for someone who has been known as a right-winger to write this column, but bear with me.

When I was a kid, my Mom had this colleague called Keith. I don’t remember his last name, but he was a local coordinator in the San Bernardino area of Southern California when Jesse Jackson ran for President in 1984. Keith was awesome.

We were a Republican family, worked with Republicans, socialized with Republicans, and so forth. In my life’s rear view mirror, that was pretty much a nightmare, but that’s a different story.

Anyway, Keith became a great friend. He looked like Shaq. He was huge, and he was the first person to open my 15 year old eyes to other viewpoints.

I remember him coming back from the convention in Georgia, bringing me a poster, and going on and on about Reverend Jackson. A few weeks after, Reverend Jackson had a rally at the Redlands Bowl. Now, I lived 2 miles from the Redlands Bowl, and I could hear the speech from my house because it rang through the town. Because it was pure passion. I was reluctantly inspired.

Fast forward over 30 years to this last Martin Luther King holiday, a holiday I have come to revere due to the influence of people like Reverend Jackson. At the invitation of my dear friend Dr. Julianne Malveaux, I went to Chicago to attend the annual MLK breakfast event hosted by Rainbow PUSH which raises money for scholarships.

Finally, I found myself eye-to-eye with Reverend Jackson. After Keith, after watching The Rev on Sesame Street with my young children, after everything, and it was a serious life moment. He wasn’t all that interested in me (he was busy that morning) but I was grateful for the moment.

I dont need to tell the story of The Rev here. That’s not my job. Google it if you don’t know.

I don’t think it’s a secret that Reverend Jesse Jackson is having health issues.

A lot of legends are having / have had health issues. We’re losing them quickly.

Of course, Reverend Jackson is imperfect. But perfect people are boring (who wants to fuckin’ hang out w Mitt Romney? NO ONE. Who wants to hang out w The Rev? EVERYONE).

So now more than ever it is critically important that we take a look around, think of the Great Ones who are still in our midst, and be grateful for them.

Thank you, Reverend Jackson. For everything. You are truly, dearly, beloved. And you are indeed the very definition of a National Treasure.