The tributes showered upon US civil rights luminary Jesse Jackson, who died this week aged 84, reflected the life of a man loved and respected not only in his native country but also elsewhere in the world for his lifelong promotion of the cause of human rights.
For a man who grew up at the height of racial discrimination against African Americans, Jackson was a product of his times. His opposition to racism and injustice was born of both his own life experience as an African American and as a theologian, the latter being the basis of his enduring faith that adversity can be overcome and belief that the world can be made a more just and fairer place.
In part, this belief drove him to run twice, against the apparent odds, for the Democratic presidential nomination. Although he lost, he paved the way for African Americans to reach for the stars and not be deterred by the sceptics.
He was deeply involved in the international anti-apartheid movement, making common cause with those fighting for freedom and justice in South Africa
None other than former US president Barack Obama acknowledged this, saying Jackson “created opportunities for generations of African Americans.
“And in his two historic runs for president, he laid the foundation for my own campaign to the highest office of the land.”
But Jackson was also a person who recognised the equal value of human beings everywhere and that the struggle against racism and inequality in the US was interlinked with the quest for freedom and justice around the world —which is why he was deeply involved in the international anti-apartheid movement, making common cause with those fighting for freedom and justice in South Africa.
Beyond politics, many will continue to be inspired by his famous injunction: “It gets dark sometimes, but the morning comes. Don’t you surrender.”
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