\u201cRev. Jackson stood tall when it wasn\u2019t popular. He spoke truth when it wasn\u2019t safe,\u201d Porter wrote. \u201cHis legacy lives on in every movement that dares to believe that justice is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Porter and his co-pastors \u2014 his wife, Karlette Porter, and his brother, Ellington W. Porter \u2014 were young ministers at Genesis in 2003. Jackson preached at the Sacramento church and its then-new family life center dedicated to Porter\u2019s late father and Genesis founder, Dr. Robert Porter.<\/p>\n
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, REN\u00c9E C. BYER rbyer@sacbee.com <\/p>\n
\u201cHe preached for us. He came to bless our space and mentor our lives. I will never forget that,\u201d Porter told The Bee on Tuesday. \u201cHe always treated my family with love and kindness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Porter\u2019s work with the National Action Network, founded by civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton, later brought Porter and Jackson \u2014 who worked closely with the organization \u2014 together again.<\/p>\n
Sacramento was roiled by the death of Stephon Clark at the hands of Sacramento police<\/a>. Porter\u2019s Genesis Church, in Sacramento\u2019s Meadowview neighborhood, was a hub of action, activism and healing and he was encouraged to start the network\u2019s Sacramento chapter.<\/p>\n Two years later, the church would serve as Sacramento touchstone<\/a> in the wake of George Floyd\u2019s death at the hands of Minneapolis police and the racial reckoning that followed.<\/p>\n \u201cDecades later, I got the chance to work alongside him through NAN,\u201d Porter said. \u201cWe\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n One of those was Lesley Simmons, pastor of South Sacramento Christian Center.<\/p>\n \u201cSeeing pictures of Martin Luther King and Jesse Jackson, that\u2019s how we grew up. He continued up until he couldn\u2019t. To see that passion, that fight, that commitment,\u201d Simmons told The Bee on Tuesday. \u201cWhat 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019s first Black president, Barack Obama, in 2008.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know this was coming but it\u2019s always a shock. But he is what we need now: to stand tall and speak truth to power,\u201d Porter said. \u201cHe was committed to it. \u2018I am. Somebody.\u2019 He lived that.\u201d<\/p>\n 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. REN\u00c9E C. BYER rbyer@sacbee.com <\/p>\n
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 <\/p>\n