The nation is mourning the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, a civil rights icon and two-time presidential candidate, who died Tuesday, Feb. 17, at the age of 84.

Jackson made several visits to the Lehigh Valley over the years, including a two-day stop in February 2012 in Bethlehem. During that visit, Jackson spoke at both Lehigh University and Moravian University.

At Lehigh, Jackson spoke to a crowd “diverse both in age and ethnicity” at Zoellner Arts Center for a forum on poverty and inequality, according to a Morning Call report on the visit.

The civil rights leader told the crowd the nation was waged in a “wrestling match between states’ rights and a sovereign union,” criticizing efforts at the time in Republican-led states to require photo identification for voting and to restrict labor unions.

When asked by one student what civil rights issues the nation’s youth should be fighting over, he cited the high cost of college tuition, tax policies favoring the wealthy and unnecessary wars, according to the report.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after King, has died at 84

“We all have the power of one light and we must use that power,” Jackson said, telling the crowd to imagine a pitch black auditorium with one candle being lit amid the darkness. “The leadership you’re looking for is within you. You must not allow that light to be put out.”

Jackson also invited members of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, of which he was a member, to join him on stage.

The lecture marked Jackson’s second appearance at Lehigh University. He first appeared there in 1986, two years after his first bid for the presidency. He ran a second time in 1988.

During the November 1986 speech at Lehigh, Jackson spoke to a crowd of 1,500 people as he criticized President Ronald Reagan’s economic policies, saying they were responsible for creating income inequality. He also criticized Reagan for the Iran-Contra scandal, accusing his administration of possibly being the most corrupt in history, according to The Morning Call archives.

You can view The Morning Call coverage of both visits below:

Coverage of Jesse Jackson's visit to Lehigh University in February 2012 from The Morning Call archives.Coverage of Jesse Jackson’s visit to Lehigh University in February 2012 from The Morning Call archives.

 

Coverage of Jesse Jackson's visit to Lehigh University in November 1986 from The Morning Call archives.Coverage of Jesse Jackson’s visit to Lehigh University in November 1986 from The Morning Call archives.