The Source of Jesse Jackson’s Power

Washington Watch

March 16th, 2026

Dr. James J. Zogby ©

President

Arab American Institute

I was honored to have been asked by Rev. Jesse Jackson’s family to speak at his memorial service in Chicago. Because I had worked with Rev. Jackson for almost a half century and because he had meant so much to me, my family, and my community, I labored over my remarks. My task wasn’t made easier by the fact that my remarks were to be preceded by two former presidents (Biden and Obama) and followed by another (Clinton). While they and other speakers acknowledged Jackson’s contributions to the political empowerment and economic advancement of African Americans, I took a different tack, attempting to understand what elevated him above other leaders of his generation.

He was a unique character. He was as comfortable walking the streets of Cairo, Kuwait, Jerusalem, or Hebron as he was in Chicago. It was really quite stunning to see the reaction that he elicited from people wherever he went. There was a power that he possessed. And I've thought a lot about that power and from whence it came.

One initial observation was that Rev. Jackson carried the weight of generations on his shoulders. He felt the pain of his own personal history and that of his people. When he walked down the street or when he spoke, people could sense the pain that was there. There was something in the tonal quality of his voice that said, “Listen to me because I understand. I’ve been where you are and I’ve had the same hurts.” And people did listen because they knew he was speaking to them and for them.

There was also something important about his world view. He was part of a generation that didn't see America as the only arena of his activity. He was a global individual. When he went to Africa, the Arab world, or Asia or the Americas, he felt part of that world. He was part of the liberation consciousness that was changing the world—throwing off not just the chains of colonial domination, but also the constraints of self-limitation that had been imposed on colonized peoples. This was central to his message. When he led young people to chant “I am somebody,” he was telling them not to listen to those in the dominant culture who would make them believe that they weren’t capable or intelligent.

And so it was that he fused together being American with being a person in the world and was comfortable meeting with Saudis or Kuwaitis or meeting with Palestinians in occupied Hebron or in Jerusalem or lifting up Arab Americans here at home. We weren’t foreigners to him.

It was remarkable to travel with him around the country to meet with Arab Americans. Because they had been excluded and rejected by the political establishment, you could see the excitement on their faces that somebody cared to come and talk to them, that somebody was saying “Arab American,” and talking about the suffering of the Palestinians and Lebanese. He energized an entire community.

When he told Black audiences that “Our time has come,” Arab Americans understood that he meant it for us. And I'll never forget him for that, because he made a difference for me, for my family, and for people across the Middle East.

I saw this at work in the Middle East as he challenged the Israelis and met with Palestinians and held political meetings in Jerusalem. And it was this same personal power that freed Robert Goodman, the downed US pilot who was being held in Syria in 1984. Jackson had asked me to do the research to see if freeing Goodman was possible. After completing my work, I advised him not to go, telling him: “There’s no guarantee that Assad will meet with you or that you’ll free Goodman.” He went anyway because he knew that if he got into Syria, there's no way Assad would not meet with him. And if he got to sit with Assad, there was no way that he would not bring Goodman back. 

And this points to the final source of Jackson’s power, and that is that he used it for others. If the source of your power is wealth or armies, and you use it for yourself, when you expend it, it’s diminished. But if your power is used for others, you have the ability to make change. Your power grows because people know you are with them and for them and of them. That was who this man was and why he was unique.