The late Rev. Jesse Jackson made several visits to North Texas over the years, including a visit to the Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy in Oak Cliff.
In 2014, Jackson visited the Dallas Independent School District campus, speaking to nearly 400 young men, encouraging students to focus on education and leadership.
“In these same halls, these same walls, yeah, he was here not too long ago,” said Frederick Walton, a senior at the academy. “He knew me before I knew me. He knew what greatness was going to come out of this school.”
Walton and fellow senior Brandon Hawkins weren’t students during Jackson’s 2014 visit, but they said his legacy is an inspiration.
“To know that someone who made such a pivotal impact on society was here at my school and was able to reach out and touch the hearts of the kids that go here, it’s really heartwarming,” said Hawkins. “He was a prime member in the civil rights movement who advocated for equal rights for all, not just, you know, African Americans, but Mexican Americans as well, and working-class Americans.”
Walton said it’s Jackson’s perseverance that keeps him going, despite the hurdles.
“Despite losing Martin Luther King, despite everything that was going around, despite all of the hate that was going on in that time, that didn’t stop him,” he said.
Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy Principal Derek Thomas said textbooks don’t always share the full stories of civil rights icons like Jackson, which is why he said having separate lessons, and conversations, and bringing in outside resources to educate students about leaders like Jackson is critical.
“Let’s not let that legacy die with him,” said Thomas. “Now our young brothers, our young ladies, have an opportunity to take what they have learned about the past and create a totally new future for themselves based upon what they’ve learned, as opposed to repeating the past that has existed.”
And for these students, carrying the legacy forward is their responsibility.
“We, just like Jesse Jackson, need to take the torch and move it to the future so that we can inspire the future leaders, husbands, fathers, mothers of the future,” said Hawkins.
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