Remembering Jesse Jackson: Legacy of Hope, Justice, and Encouragement with Bishop Julius C. Trimble

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:00:00]:

Hello, good people, and welcome to the To Be Encouraged podcast with Bishop Julius C. Trimble. This is the podcast where we look to offer an encouraging word to an often discouraged world. I'm your co-host, Reverend Dr. Brad Mueller. Bishop Trimble, welcome to our conversation today, my friend.

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:00:22]:

Thank you, Brad.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:00:24]:

This is—

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:00:24]:

we're getting to the latter part of February, which is celebrated as Black History Month, but people need encouragement in this particular time all the way all around the world and particularly here in the US as we just received word a few days now past that Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson passed away.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:00:46]:

Yes. Well, indeed, even as we talk about Black History Month, I really don't think you can talk about Black history, especially in the church experience, the political realm, the social action realm of our country in the last many decades, 50 years probably, without Jesse Jackson being a really significant part of it. So let's just go. I'd just like to take off there. Give me somebody— I know that you at least met Jesse Jackson, at least I believe that you have, and he was an influence in your life. So why don't you just go from that, share a little bit of your reaction about the life and the legacy of Jesse Jackson. Maybe our listeners aren't all that familiar with who he is, and some of our listeners, but tell us a little bit about who he is, what he has done in American society, and a little bit about your personal relationship with him.

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:01:39]:

Well, that's a mouthful.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:01:42]:

Yes, I'm sorry.

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:01:44]:

Yeah, that'll take a while. I am working on a written tribute to Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, but the Well, I received the word in the car listening to the radio that on February 17th, at age 84, Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. died after serving a lifetime of fighting for social justice, advancing civil rights, and dismantling systemic racism. Reverend Jackson was a tireless advocate for voting rights, and for the inclusion of women, people with disabilities, people of color, not only here but across the globe. He was one of the earliest voices addressing the issue of apartheid in South Africa. And his children released a statement saying that our father, Reverend Jesse Jackson, was a servant leader not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world. So he was actually a giant for civil rights and for justice for people all around the world, Brad.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:03:00]:

Yes. Well, did you ever have a chance to spend any time personally with Reverend Jesse Jackson?

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:03:08]:

As a matter of fact, I did. Reverend Jackson. I met Reverend Jackson when I was in high school. And again, after I began my seminary training at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. The reason behind that, Brad, is that the home church— I'm from Chicago, and much of the base of Reverend Jackson's ministry, though he was born in South Carolina, much of the base of his ministry emanated from his work out of Chicago and as well as his work directly with Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I met him while I was a youth member at my home church in Chicago because my home church on the South Side of Chicago became a northern chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the civil rights organization that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:04:04]:

was the president of. And so Reverend Jackson, who began to work with Dr. King in the early '60s, began, organized what became known as Operation Breadbasket, which was a northern outreach post, if you will, of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. And it really grew to become Rev. Jackson's ministry, later being called Operation PUSH and then the Rainbow Coalition, which really did multiple things, including feeding hungry children, including advocating for voting, voter registration, and addressing all kinds of civil and human rights issues, particularly not only in Chicago but across the globe. So Reverend Jackson, many say, continued to carry the baton that was carried by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and so many others during the civil rights movement.

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:05:10]:

So he kept the torch alive of what was the civil rights movement, which began in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:05:21]:

Well, in some regards, he literally carried the baton inasmuch as, if I recall my history correctly, please correct if I'm wrong, wasn't Jesse Jackson actually present when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, wasn't he, at that hotel in Memphis?

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:05:37]:

Yeah, many of the iconic pictures you see, some of them with several people, Reverend Abernathy and Jesse Jackson being the two most noteworthy people pointing in the direction where a shot came from with Dr. King laying on the porch of the Lorraine Hotel. Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. So Reverend Jackson was with Dr. King and continued that work. You know, there were others, Andrew Young and many others, men and women who continued the work, but Jesse Jackson became known as not only a civil and human rights leader and an exceptional charismatic preacher, but also a force in democratic politics progressive politics with an emphasis on building a much more broader coalition, which later included those in the LGBTQ community, particularly advocating for equal pay for women and advocating for access to home loans for African Americans that often were kept out of the financial markets. Reverend Jackson became probably one of the most well-known personalities, preachers in the world when you think about people who were known across the globe. And some of that has to do with the various things he did that others were unsuccessful in trying to do.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:07:09]:

Well, all of that politically, socially, and what a dynamic preacher. My goodness, I remember his sermons on television and so on. However, the one I remember the most, and you were probably there, is when you and I were in seminary together at Garrett Evangelical in Evanston, Illinois. He preached in the chapel there on one occasion, and I was in attendance. Of course, well, every student there was there, and many other people were there. Oh my goodness, so what just that classic, just the classic Black preaching style of which you do so well, my friend. But wow, what a powerful sermon. And that just still resonates with me.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:07:52]:

I certainly thought about that very much so when I heard about his loss the other day. So I guess what I wanna say—

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:08:00]:

He came to Garrett, I think, on several occasions. And actually, Brad, I was able to participate in a class that he co-taught with Heisel B. Taylor. And it was a class on applied theology and community organizing. And it was a phenomenal class. You had to be willing to travel on Saturdays to Chicago to go to Operation PUSH. And we also had a chance in this class that Reverend Jackson led to go to Cook County Jail, spend a day at Cook County Jail, engaging in conversation and prayer with inmates as well as a worship service. He was noted for often quoting from Psalm 37:25, "I was young and now I am old, but I've never seen the righteous forsaken nor seen their children begging for bread." He was a firm believer that people who were followers of Christ and people who embraced the prophetic preaching call had to be ambassadors of hope.

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:09:13]:

And Brad, I don't know if you remember, one of the things he's most noted for is saying, "Keep hope alive." Keep hope alive, indeed.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:09:20]:

That was his phrase. And I just love the way, and you're really touching on it right here, and you do this so well yourself, it's really integrating the gospel and just a great knowledge of the Bible and scriptures and the message of the gospel in the needs of the day with civil rights and social action and voting rights, women's issues. Of course, he was a presidential candidate. You mentioned speaking against Trump.

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:09:48]:

He was twice, 1984 and 1988. He actually had delegates. But one of the things that we have to keep in mind in terms of being a true American, hero and patriot is if you recall, Brad, Reverend Jesse Jackson was successful in retrieving a number of hostages that were held. Oh, yes. Yes. And he was successful when some of the presidents weren't successful.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:10:19]:

Right. Right.

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:10:20]:

Including Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Bush, and often in the face of criticism when people said, This was the State Department's job, not a preacher's job from Chicago or Operation PUSH. But his response was he felt that he could do it. He was respected outside of the country, and because he was a peacemaker, on the occasions that he went and traveled, he was invariably successful in bringing back both US soldiers as well as private citizens that had been held hostage outside of the United States.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:11:02]:

Right. He just got it done in so many ways. He would just get in there and get his hands dirty, get it done. Sometimes stick his nose in places where he felt like others didn't want him to be, but he got it done. I think he was a real master of afflicting the comfortable and comforting the afflicted.

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:11:18]:

Yeah, that's a great one. That's a great one. He was a master of that. I mean, he didn't have a life without some controversy or criticism, including some comments he made that riled the Jewish community that he later had to address. But he was a bridge builder. So his contribution, I think, to progressive democracy, and I don't mean just the Democratic Party, but progressive democracy, was that you had to include all of the people that were overlooked and discounted. And that was something that he felt was necessary.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:12:03]:

Yeah. Well, he shook things up a little bit. I got to tell my little story. When he ran for president in 1984, I was living in a small, mostly white town in rural Indiana. Anyhow, he ran, and when the voting came out in the primaries and he ran. I forget who he was running against now, to be honest with you. But anyhow, in the community, the local newspaper listed the votes for whoever they voted for. They literally put the numbers there.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:12:29]:

And I won't forget, Bishop, next to Jesse Jackson's name for the primary in the town of about 20,000 people, there was 4 votes for Jesse Jackson. And I knew I was one of them. And I knew a few other Black folks in town, and I figured that's where they came from as well. But, you know, my point is he really went against the odds and he made a difference, didn't he? He really did.

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:12:54]:

And, and he, and, you know, it wasn't a matter— his belief was if you don't try, you can't succeed.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:12:59]:

Yeah.

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:13:00]:

Brad, I'm going to ask, are we able to pause this at all? My wife keeps calling me. I hope it's not an emergency.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:13:05]:

Well, we'll pause right now. Yeah, take your, take your call. Turn—

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:13:10]:

yeah, she keeps calling me, so that must be something. Okay.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:13:13]:

I'll be here when you get back on. No, I'll just leave it open. You come back when you're done.

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:13:20]:

Okay. Can you mute it or do I?

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:13:22]:

Yeah, I'm good. I'm just going to pause it on my end. You just take your call and come back when you're done.

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:13:27]:

Okay.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:13:29]:

All right. I'm resuming now. We're rolling again. So I'm just going to count it down. 3, 2, 1. And you just give a kind of a closing thought about Reverend Jackson's life. Okay. 3, 2, 1, and mark.

Bishop Julius C. Trimble [00:13:45]:

Reverend Jesse Jackson impacted the world in immense ways for Black children and for all children and eventually for all people. He was a paragon of hope, and he epitomized and breathed into life the Genesis 1:26-27 that we all are made in the image of God. And he coined the phrase, "I am somebody." And to say that over and over again, that I am somebody, in spite of whatever you've been through, in spite of what your humble beginnings may have been, in spite of what you don't have, you're still somebody because you're somebody in the eyes of God. You're somebody because you've been created in the image of God. Wow. So Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson has made a tremendous impact upon global peace. And I would say that he was one of those persons who helped to bend the moral arc of the universe towards justice.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:14:51]:

Wow. Well said, my friend. And I love that, you know, "I am somebody" is certainly what he embodied in his life. And How about we come back in another episode and talk about his impact right now in the world as we see it right now with all the things going on and with ICE and everything else. Let's talk, come back in another episode to talk about the impact of the ministry and mission and the I Am Sabbati message of Reverend Jesse Jackson. So thank you, Bishop, for sharing here today about your memories about Reverend Jesse Jackson, and thank you for sharing. So Thank you, and thank you for our audience for being a part of our conversation here on the To Be Encouraged podcast with Bishop Julius C. Trimble.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller [00:15:40]:

I'm your co-host, Reverend Dr. Brad Mellor. This indeed is the podcast where we look to offer an encouraging word to an often discouraged world.