Ben Cable March 6, 2026 (Crossposted on Substack)
Today I ran across another photo of Rev. Jesse Jackson and me—a moment frozen in time. It felt strangely fitting, because today is also the day the nation gathers to say goodbye to him.
Jackson died at 84 after a long battle with neurological illness, leaving behind one of the most consequential civil rights legacies in modern American history. A protégé of Martin Luther King Jr., he was with King when King was killed, became the leading voice of Black political power after King’s assassination, founded the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, and shattered barriers with his historic presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988.
His homegoing service is being held today in Chicago at the House of Hope, drawing a remarkable gathering of political and civil rights leaders—including former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden, along with former First Ladies Hillary Clinton and Jill Biden, and a wide circle of clergy, activists, and public figures whose lives were shaped by Jackson’s work.
Seeing that photo today took me back to 1993. Marcial Cable-McCarthy and I were already fighting one of the earliest legal battles for marriage equality when supporting such a cause was considered political suicide. During the March on Washington that year, I shared a podium with Jesse Jackson at the National Press Club and attended a reception with him.
And today, as the nation celebrates his life, I’m grateful to have a couple of photographs and one moment to remember him by.
My thoughts are with Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. family and friends today.
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