3 days ago
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Reflecting on the life of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, San Diego’s Black elected officials and activists recall a charismatic speaker who could energize a crowd with hope and activate Black voters across the region and the nation.
The longtime civil rights giant and two-time presidential candidate, who died Tuesday at 84, inspired the work they do today, they say.
“He was a major force for me, seeing what we could do in communities,” California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said Tuesday.
Weber met Jackson when she was a senior at UCLA during Operation Breadbasket, an effort he led in the 1960s to support Black workers and Black-owned businesses.
“He served a good task, and he was always an exciting person, filled with energy,” she added.
Jackson visited San Diego a number of times, whether campaigning for president, marching with activists or speaking to students or rallies.
In a 1984 push for immigrants’ rights, he led a march to the U.S.-Mexico border and an international rally in opposition to a crackdown on the hiring of undocumented immigrants. He spoke at San Diego State in 1996 at a rally against Proposition 209’s ban on affirmative action.
Vernon Sukumu, now 86, ran Jackson’s 1984 presidential campaign in San Diego County. The San Diegan had two children to support, but he took time off work to join the campaign — the candidate’s charisma...
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