From Sunrise to Sunset: Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Prophetic Call for Unity and Change—The 1984 Presidential Candidate Address That America Must Remember
- Karen Brittingham-Edmond
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
February 17, 2026
Honoring the Rev. Jesse Jackson
Sunrise: Oct 8, 1941, Sunset: February 17, 2026
Reference: CBS News from July 17, 1984, Jesse Jackson's keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention
Echo News TV LLC mourns the passing of the beloved Rev. Jesse Jackson, a proud graduate of North Carolina A&T with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, who touched countless lives with his unwavering dedication to justice and equality. Today, on February 17, 2026, we remember a towering leader whose voice and vision inspired generations. His legacy of love, courage, and hope will forever echo in the hearts of all who dreamed of a better world.
Miss. Karen Brittingham-Edmond Editor/ Publisher of the Relaunched Echo
"In Concern of the Negro" since 1904
San Francisco, July 1984—In a moment that reverberated across the nation and the world, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, a towering figure in the American civil rights movement and a direct protégé of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., stood before a sea of delegates at the Democratic National Convention. With his sons behind him and the eyes of the country upon him, Jackson declared his candidacy for President of the United States, making history as the first Black American man to launch a major campaign for the nation’s highest office. At his side stood Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman nominated for vice president by a major party, symbolizing a new era of inclusion and possibility for American democracy.
Jackson’s address was more than a campaign speech—it was a call to conscience for the nation. He spoke with the gravity of a man who had lived the struggles of the disenfranchised, invoking the “desperate, the damned, the disinherited, the disrespected, and the despised” as his constituency. Drawing on the moral legacy of Dr. King, Jackson called for America to embrace a mission of feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, and choosing the human race over the nuclear race. “We are not a perfect people,” he reminded the crowd, “yet, we are called to a perfect mission.” His words resonated as both a challenge and a promise—urging the Democratic Party and the nation to remember the least among them and to strive for justice and peace.
The symbolism of Jackson’s campaign could not be overstated. At a time when the Reagan Administration and its allies in the Christian Coalition and among leading White Evangelicals and Baptists often sought to roll back civil rights gains, Jackson’s very presence on the stage was an act of courage and defiance. He stood as a living testament to the progress won through years of struggle, from the streets of Selma to the halls of Congress, and a reminder that the fight for voting rights and social justice was far from over. His campaign was met with resistance and even open hostility from some quarters, but Jackson refused to be cowed, insisting that the “rainbow coalition” he envisioned would include all Americans—Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, Native, gay, straight, disabled, and more.
For Black Americans, Jackson’s candidacy was a beacon of pride and possibility. For non-racist White Americans and other allies, it was an invitation to join hands in a broader struggle for the soul of the nation. Jackson’s words echoed far beyond the convention hall, stirring hope in communities that had long felt excluded from the political process. “We must come together,” he declared, “from Fannie Lou Hamer in Atlantic City in 1964 to the Rainbow Coalition in San Francisco today.” In an era marked by division and suspicion, Jackson’s campaign sought to build bridges—between races, classes, and generations—in pursuit of what he called the “true American way.”
A Campaign of Conscience and Unity
Jackson’s speech was remarkable not only for its content but for its tone of humility and self-reflection. In a moving passage, he asked forgiveness for any pain or discomfort he may have caused in his campaign, acknowledging his own imperfections and struggles. “I am not a perfect servant. I am a public servant doing my best against the odds. As I develop and serve, be patient. God is not finished with me yet.” This candor, rare among politicians, deepened the sense of authenticity and moral seriousness that pervaded his campaign.
He called upon the nation to recognize its diversity as its greatest strength, famously likening America not to a blanket of one color and texture, but to a quilt—“many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven and held together by a common thread.” In Jackson’s vision, the tapestry of American society would be expanded to include those often marginalized: “the white, the Hispanic, the Black, the Arab, the Jew, the woman, the Native American, the small farmer, the business person, the environmentalist, the peace activist, the young, the old, the lesbian, the gay, and the disabled.”
Jackson did not shy away from addressing the pain and divisions of the era. He spoke openly about the crises facing Black and Jewish communities, the struggles of farm workers, Native Americans, immigrants, and the disabled. He challenged the Democratic Party to expand its coalition and to heal, unify, and inspire the nation. “We have proven that we can survive without each other,” he said, “but we have not proven that we can win and make progress without each other. We must come together.”
This message of unity was not mere rhetoric—it was grounded in the hard realities of American life in the 1980s. Jackson outlined the economic and social challenges faced by millions under the Reagan Administration: rising poverty, cuts to social programs, educational inequities, and growing militarism. He urged the Democratic Party to measure greatness “from the manger up, not the mansion down,” and to judge the nation by how it treated “the least of these.” In doing so, Jackson re-centered the national conversation on justice, compassion, and the common good.
Resistance, Redemption, and the American Promise
Jackson’s historic address was met with thunderous applause, but also with skepticism and outright opposition from powerful forces. The Christian Coalition, leading White Evangelicals, and the Reagan Administration viewed his campaign as a threat to the established order—a challenge to the dominance of conservative, often exclusionary, values in American politics. Yet Jackson persisted, undeterred by those who “despised” him or his cause, and unbowed by the weight of history.
He reminded the nation of the unfinished work of the civil rights movement, connecting the struggles of the past with the promise of the present. “The team that got us here must be expanded, not abandoned,” he declared, invoking the memory of martyrs like Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, and others. Jackson’s campaign was not just about Black advancement, but about the fulfillment of the American ideal—a nation where all people, regardless of race or background, had a voice and a stake in the future.
Central to Jackson’s message was the enforcement of voting rights for all Black citizens, a cause that drew fierce opposition from remnants of the Confederacy and from countries that clung to caste systems and racial hierarchies. Yet, through the courage of Jackson and his allies, meaningful progress was made—expanding access to the ballot and empowering communities that had long been disenfranchised. “When one of us rises, all of us will rise. Justice is a way out. Peace is a way out,” he proclaimed.
Jackson’s vision was not naïve. He acknowledged the pain, the setbacks, and the betrayals that had marked the journey toward justice. But he insisted that faith, hope, and love could overcome even the deepest divisions. “We must turn from finger-pointing to clasped hands. We must share our burdens and joys with each other once again.” In this, he offered the nation not just a policy platform, but a moral and spiritual roadmap toward reconciliation and renewal.
A Legacy of Hope and the True American Way
As the curtain fell on Jackson’s address, the impact of his words lingered—both in the convention hall and across the nation. For countless Americans, his campaign was a point of hope and change—a moment when the “true American way” was reimagined and reclaimed. The image of Jackson, the son of a single mother from Greenville, South Carolina, standing on the national stage and calling for justice, peace, and unity, became a symbol of what was possible in American life.
Jackson’s message to young people was particularly resonant. He challenged them to “put hope in their brains and not dope in their veins,” reminding them that “just because you’re born in the slum does not mean the slum is born in you.” He called on the nation’s youth to dream of a brighter tomorrow, to use imagination and love as tools for survival and progress, and to choose “the human race over the nuclear race.” In this, Jackson offered a vision of empowerment and possibility that transcended politics and spoke to the enduring spirit of the American people.
Looking back, Jackson’s 1984 campaign stands as a watershed moment—a catalyst for greater inclusion, representation, and justice in American politics. Although he did not win the nomination, his candidacy paved the way for future generations of leaders from diverse backgrounds. His call for a “Rainbow Coalition” anticipated the broader, more inclusive coalitions that would shape American political life in the decades to come.
Picture Sources: Wix Media Unsplash
In the end, Jesse Jackson’s run for president in 1984 was not just a campaign—it was a movement. A movement that brought together Black and non-racist White citizens in a spirit of love, hope, and peace. A movement that challenged America to live up to its highest ideals. And a movement that, even in the face of opposition and adversity, embodied the true American way: a nation, ever striving, ever hopeful, ever united in the pursuit of justice for all.
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