Soon after my father died in 2008, I got the chance to meet Rev. Jackson in person. It was a life-changing moment for me. He took me under his wing, personally mentoring me for more than 15 years.
After I left the Obama administration, he encouraged me – saying, “We are long-distance runners. We just keep on serving.”
He and I worked together to open up Silicon Valley to overlooked talent when I was running
#YesWeCode.
His example of including everyone – from AIDS patients to family farmers – in his “Rainbow Coalition” encouraged me to keep my own heart open and my own arms wide.
It’s hard to overstate – or even to understand – the importance and power of Rev. Jackson in his prime. He is overshadowed today by other figures. But for nearly half a century, Rev. Jackson was the United States’ most important black political figure.
After all, Dr. King died in 1968, and Obama was not elected until 2008. For black America, that was a long 40 years in the wilderness. Through those four difficult decades, the man who carried us through was Rev. Jackson.
My full letter about Rev. Jackson is live now on Substack:
open.substack.com/pub/vanjon…