Atlanta has deep ties to the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. Not only was he a protégé of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but in 1988, he delivered arguably one of the most well-known speeches of his presidential campaign during the Democratic National Convention at downtown Atlanta’s Omni hotel. Andrew Young, Atlanta’s mayor at the time, had worked in King’s inner circle. In that speech, Jackson shared his vision for the nation if he should become president, but he also detailed his tough Greenville, South Carolina upbringing. “You see me on TV, but you don’t know the me that makes me, me,” he said.
Many of those gathered at The Gathering Spot on Tuesday for the Black History Month program When HIStory Was Watching: A Fireside Chat with Ambassador Andrew Young and Torchbearers of the Civil Rights Legacy, mere hours after news of Jackson’s death broke, either knew him well or were inspired by him.
