Philly pastor remembers Rev. Jesse Jackson as ‘fighter for truth’

The passing of Rev. Jesse Jackson is a time to reflect on the work of the civil rights’ icon and focus on continuing his legacy, a Philadelphia pastor said.

Pastor Alyn Waller with Philadelphia’s Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church described Rev. Jackson, who died Tuesday at the age of 84, as a ‘fighter for truth’.

“There is an old adage that says we need to be willing to know the truth and willing to act in its defense, to recognize evil, and be willing to do something about it. That was his [Jackson’s] ministry,” Pastor Waller told NBC10. “He was a preacher of the gospel that was committed to civil rights and human rights in this country, both of which are under attack right now. We need to live in that legacy, and there are many of us who are committed to that proposition.”

Jackson was born in Greenville, South Carolina, and rose to prominence in the civil rights era.

He participated in demonstrations alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his activism spanned decades. This includes two runs for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988.

Waller tells NBC10, Rev. Jackson used to preach at Waller’s home church in Ohio.

Over the years, Jackson has visited the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia.

He was one of the speakers at the funeral for heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier in Nov. 2011. Jackson also visited the church during the Democratic National Convention in 2016.

“Periodically, he would come through. I would like to think I have a relationship with him, and I’m honored to have been able to be close. He did come to Philly, but he was all of our leader,” Waller said.

Waller said Jackson’s work has clarified his own calling.

“We often reduce the civil rights act or movement to just being about a few things with African Americans, but it really was about human rights,” he said. “We were at the front of the list but this was a fight, and our fight is a fight for everyone. He reminds us that we have to continue to fight for all humanity.”

Public observances for Rev. Jackson will be held in Chicago and future plans for celebration of life events will be announced at a later date, the Jackson family said in its statement Tuesday.