Jesse vs Jesse
Opinion: Jesse Jackson deserves r-e-s-p-e-c-t
…Wait a minute, Jackson haters will say. Jesse Jackson has exaggerated his closeness to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. True. But, the relationship is embroidered, not fabricated. And, the detractors will say, he has an out-of-wedlock daughter. True, again. She is a beautiful child. I respect Rev. Jackson's decision to risk having her instead of opting for abortion, as most men in high profile positions would. I don't respect his infidelity. Therein lies the rub. Critics of the man ignore or devalue his contributions to society while overstating their criticisms of him. I do not.
I would be remiss if I did not anticipate the next attack on the best known civil rights advocate in the world. Right Wingers will suggest substituting Jesse Lee Peterson, Larry Elder, Clarence Thomas or some other contemporary handkerchief head for Rev. Jackson. Then, it is time for me to say, 'Gotcha!' Right Wing African-American 'leaders' owe whatever status they have to the white Right. (There really isn't a colored one.) They are groomed by it, popularized by it and paid by it. Their only connection to other blacks is the one they are being used for -- appearance. The reason Rev. Jackson is a legitimate civil rights leader and Peterson is not is that he is opposed to the interests of the very people he claims to represent. Peterson represents the interests of the folks making whitey's last stand, while claiming otherwise.
