At the historic A.G. Gaston Motel in Birmingham last Friday, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said, “It’s good to be home again … I have Parkinson’s and I can’t talk very well, but my mind is on freedom.” (City of Birmingham)
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By Barnett Wright | The Birmingham Times
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, his son U.S. Representative Jonathan Jackson, and his daughter Santita Jackson stopped by the A.G. Gaston Motel and Coffee Shop Friday.
The Rev. Jackson was also in Selma, Alabama Sunday for the 60th commemoration of the clash that became known as Bloody Sunday. The attack shocked the nation and galvanized support for the U.S. Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Jackson and his family were at A.G. Gaston Motel to explore future partnership opportunities with Kendra Woodfin, wife of Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, and KultureCity, a nonprofit dedicated to sensory inclusion and disability accessibility.
“It’s good to be home again,” Jackson whispered from his wheelchair. “I have Parkinson’s and I can’t talk very well, but my mind is on freedom.” He added, “The Bible says, ‘Remove not the ancient landmarks which thy fathers have set.’ This is a landmark. Never forget it. It is dark, but the morning comes. When it is really dark, you can see the stars more clearly. Amen.”
In an Instagram post, Woodfin said she and KultureCity “had the incredible honor” of hosting Jackson. “He didn’t speak much, but when he did, his words carried weight … we linked arms and sang ‘We Shall Overcome.’ It was powerful. It was a reminder of where we’ve been, how far we’ve come, and the work still ahead.”
It’s important to know that the Civil Rights movement was not long ago, Woodfin said, as quoted by birminghamwatch.org.
“These pioneers, some of them are still living today, like Jesse Jackson,” she said. “To have him back in this space is momentous.
“To even be able to have a conversation with him about what’s going on in the climate today, with Civil Rights, disability rights, equality,” Woodfin continued, according to the website. “It’s still a conversation that we need to have. To be able to have it with the people who fought so hard for it back then is amazing.”
