Many New York leaders are sharing their thoughts after Rev. Jesse Jackson, the famous civil rights leader, died Tuesday morning.
Very few people worked as closely with or were as molded by Jackson as Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist who founded the National Action Network.
Sharpton was a teenager when Jackson appointed him as the youth director of the Brooklyn branch of Operation Breadbasket, which was founded by Jackson in the 1960s. Their mentor-mentee relationship grew from there.
At a news conference, Sharpton spoke about Jackson’s leadership and influence on civil rights, politics and culture both in his home state of South Carolina as well as in New York.
“Jesse Jackson changed American politics, and he changed New York politics,” he said. “It had been a very sad day for me. Even though we knew he was very ill, when the moment comes, you are not prepared for it.”
“He never stopped”
Sharpton explained how Jackson kept fighting for his beliefs until he died.
Jackson told him that Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were assassinated when they were 39, so he never learned how to retire.
“We were never raised to be 40 years old. I woke up one day at 55. There’s no retirement plan for us,” Jackson told him.
Sharpton said he was notified of Jackson’s passing around 2:30 a.m. He immediately jumped on a call to pray with Jackson’s family.
He said that Jackson was more than just a public figure. He was a godfather to his two daughters, and he said his family spent every Christmas at the Jacksons’ house.
Sharpton said Jackson was the most influential figurehead in his life and showed him how to stand up to injustices.
Mamdani and Hochul on Jackson’s passing
“Today we mourn the passing of Rev. Jesse Jackson, a giant of the civil rights movement who never stopped demanding that America live up to its promise. He marched, he ran, he organized and he preached justice without apology. May we honor him not just in words, but in struggle,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted on social media.
Gov. Kathy Hochul also shared a statement on social media.
“Reverend Jesse Jackson’s life was defined by courage and conviction. From Selma to the national stage, he stood tall against injustice. We honor his legacy and the generations he inspired,” she wrote.