The death of civil rights titan the Rev. Jesse Jackson at 84 reverberated Tuesday and was mourned by a Sacramento minister and state civil rights leader who came to know him well.
“Rev. Jesse Jackson was not just a legendary civil rights leader — he was a friend to us long before anyone knew our names,” the Rev. Tecoy Porter Sr., pastor of Genesis Church in Sacramento and president of the Sacramento chapter of the National Action Network, said in a remembrance of the iconic social justice champion Tuesday.
“Rev. Jackson stood tall when it wasn’t popular. He spoke truth when it wasn’t safe,” Porter wrote. “His legacy lives on in every movement that dares to believe that justice is possible.”
Porter and his co-pastors — his wife, Karlette Porter, and his brother, Ellington W. Porter — were young ministers at Genesis in 2003. Jackson preached at the Sacramento church and its then-new family life center dedicated to Porter’s late father and Genesis founder, Dr. Robert Porter.
Rev. Jesse Jackson discusses the importance of civic engagement at the Sacramento Boys and Girls club on March 2, 2009, during an appearance with Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson to launch an effort to boost volunteerism in the community, RENÉE C. BYER rbyer@sacbee.com
“He preached for us. He came to bless our space and mentor our lives. I will never forget that,” Porter told The Bee on Tuesday. “He always treated my family with love and kindness.”
Porter’s work with the National Action Network, founded by civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton, later brought Porter and Jackson — who worked closely with the organization — together again.
Sacramento was roiled by the death of Stephon Clark at the hands of Sacramento police. Porter’s Genesis Church, in Sacramento’s Meadowview neighborhood, was a hub of action, activism and healing and he was encouraged to start the network’s Sacramento chapter.
Two years later, the church would serve as Sacramento touchstone in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police and the racial reckoning that followed.
“Decades later, I got the chance to work alongside him through NAN,” Porter said. “We’re blessed to have that history with him. He planted seeds that become fruit to this day. He touched so many lives, encouraged so many young church ministers.”
One of those was Lesley Simmons, pastor of South Sacramento Christian Center.
Rev. Jesse Jackson smiles after he was given a Sacramento High sweatshirt at the Sacramento Boys and Girls club on March 2, 2009. He joined Mayor Kevin Johnson was joined to launch “Volunteer Sacramento,” designed to boost volunteerism in the community, and make it the leading city in California for those efforts. RENÉE C. BYER rbyer@sacbee.com
“Seeing pictures of Martin Luther King and Jesse Jackson, that’s how we grew up. He continued up until he couldn’t. To see that passion, that fight, that commitment,” Simmons told The Bee on Tuesday. “What he stood for for decades: To stand up, speak up, and show up to push for change. We will continue on. His message will be lasting.”
His Operation PUSH and National Rainbow Coalition became powerful instruments for social change. He ran twice for president in 1984, and again, in 1988. The candidacies, rooted in racial, social and economic justice, paved the way for the election of the nation’s first Black president, Barack Obama, in 2008.
Jackson had been in failing health. He had managed the rare neurodegenerative disease progressive supranuclear palsy for nearly 10 years and was hospitalized as recently as November for the condition.
“We know this was coming but it’s always a shock. But he is what we need now: to stand tall and speak truth to power,” Porter said. “He was committed to it. ‘I am. Somebody.’ He lived that.”
The Rev. Jesse Jackson answers questions during a meeting with The Sacramento Bee editorial board on March 2, 2009, as Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson listens in the background. RANDY PENCH rpench@sacbee.com
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The Sacramento Bee
Darrell Smith is a local reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He joined The Bee in 2006 and previously worked at newspapers in Palm Springs, Colorado Springs and Marysville. Smith was born and raised at Beale Air Force Base and lives in Elk Grove.