Reverend Jesse Jackson is no longer with us. He had a powerful stage presence, and his presence on the world stage will be missed. His words will continue to move and challenge us to be hopeful about the future while working to effect change.
Reverend Jackson was a preacher, an activist of hope, knowing that where one begins does not determine where one ends. He knew that God could take someone from the poorhouse to the White House, or anywhere in between. God can change a nation.
“Keep Hope Alive!” he said time and time again.
“Hold your head high, stick your chest out. It gets dark sometimes, but morning comes, “ he reminded us.
“Keep Hope Alive,” a three-word sermon, was one of Reverend Jackson’s signature phrases. The chant embodied his quest and activism on picket lines, during boycotts, marches, and behind the revered pulpit.
When I used to attend the Gospel Trains, church gatherings where various gospel groups would sing, someone would say, “Don’t just listen to the song; listen to the words of the song.”
Reverend Jackson’s words were lean and easy to ingest.
The phrase, “Keep Hope Alive,” is lean, biblical, and good for every man, woman, boy, or girl, and for a nation.
Here are two biblical references that speak to the hope Reverend Jesse Jackson championed: working for equality and justice for African Americans.
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you, “declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
We should Keep Hope Alive; trust God, who knows where we are, where we need to go, and how to get us there.
God plants and calls servant leaders of all professions at all levels of society. People like Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., Reverend Jesse Jackson, and many others have raised the nation’s consciousness about the plight of blacks to bring about change.
Hebrews 10:23
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
We profess the hope in God proclaimed by Reverend Jackson.
Equal access and opportunity provide soil to plant the seeds of hope and open the doors of equality and the American dream for marginalized African Americans.
Reverend Jackson also said, “Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping them up.”
This is a reminder that when one gets to where they’re going, they should never forget where they come from.
Don’t you hate it when you run across an African American who has a “bootstrap” or me, myself, and I mentality?
African Americans stand on the shoulders of many brave people who suffered and made sacrifices to help open doors for past, present, and future generations.
Reverend Jesse Jackson was a man standing in the wilderness of injustice, slums, illiteracy, unemployment, racism, and no healthcare.
He called for the demons of racism to leave the soul of our nation.
He called America to look at itself and to become a nation for all citizens, regardless of race, religion, and other class designations created to divide us.
A nation that doesn’t champion equity, diversity, and inclusion is a nation of division.
There’s nothing political about hope because God is our hope.
God has called Reverend Jesse Jackson to rest, but many of his mantras will live on.
Keep Hope Alive!
I hope you are happy and well.