We do not have to agree with Reverend Jesse Jackson on every policy position to acknowledge that he was: a historic American statesman.
As a civil rights advocate/leader, he stood with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
As a presidential candidate, he expanded the electorate and was the architect and leader of the “Rainbow Coalition” long before coalition politics became fashionable.
As a political leader with clout, he helped register voters, negotiate hostage releases, and force both parties to confront racial injustice. Jesse Jackson shaped American political life for half a century.
You can disagree with him, but you cannot erase him or his many accomplishments. And yet, Speaker Mike Johnson, the lowlife that he is, has attempted to do just that—he recently denied Jackson the honor of lying in state at the Capitol.
A short time ago, this same Speaker bestowed the honor he denied Jackson on conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Let that sink in.
One man helped reshape American democracy.
The other built a short career in partisan youth activism.
This is not a comment on their politics. It is a comment on their stature.
You don’t have to be a liberal to know this would not have happened under:
These powerful conservatives disagreed with Jackson, debated him, challenged him, but understood institutional respect.
Reagan attended King Day events.
Bush spoke the language of civic unity.
McCain revered bipartisan dignity.
They would have recognized Jesse Jackson’s historical footprint even though they disagreed with his politics. That’s statesmanship.
What we have in today’s Republican Party, exemplified by Johnson and Trump, is mean-spirited, divisive, petty, and shallow. This was no oversight. This was a message from the fringe of one party to the perceived fringe of another:
“You are not worthy of national honor.”
That is not conservatism. It is grievance politics dressed up as procedural discretion. When the Capitol becomes a scoreboard instead of a sanctuary, we have reduced national memory to factional scoring.
You may not align with the modern progressive movement, but you cannot deny its roots. The coalition-building that now fuels figures like:
trace back directly to Jackson’s efforts to bring together labor, minorities, the poor, students, and working families. He expanded who got to sit at the political table. You may not like everyone at that table, but the expansion itself was historically significant.
This slight is bigger than Jackson. The decision to deny him the honor reflects something corrosive: An unwillingness to distinguish between ideological disagreement and national contribution. Congress, supposedly, represents the entire country, and not just the current majority faction. When leaders deny recognition based on partisan distaste, they dishonor service to country.
Charlie Kirk’s tragic death was shocking to some. But historical stature is not measured in podcast downloads or tragic endings. Jesse Jackson spent decades shaping public life. There is no serious comparison between these two gentlemen in terms of national impact. Pretending otherwise is not strength—it’s insecurity. Denying that honor to Jesse Jackson does not diminish him, it diminishes Mike Johnson and the institution of Congress.
You don’t have to belong to the “Jackson wing” of the Democratic Party to understand how wrong Johnson is. This is not a political issue, left vs. right, conservative vs. progressive. The issue is this: Can this Congress recognize historical significance across ideological lines? Once upon a time, any Congress, no matter its majority ideology, would recognize the historical contributions of a Jesse Jackson. Only this Congress struggles to do so. And that sad fact says far more about our current leadership than it does about Jesse Jackson.
Mark M. Bello is an attorney and award-winning author of the Zachary Blake Legal Thriller Series, ripped-from-the-headlines, realistic fiction that speaks truth to power and champions the rights of citizens in our justice system. These novels are dedicated to the social justice movement. They educate, spark discussion, and inspire readers to action. One of these novels, Betrayal High, was written in response to school shootings. For more information, please visit www.markmbello.com.
