Rest in Peace & Power, Rev. Jesse Jackson

For me, Rev. Jesse Jackson represents my first indication of any public ally in politics, which was and still is important to me as it relates to my work today.

Because of allies like Jackson, equality is more present for more people in the workplace. 

===> I was 14 about to turn 15 in the summer of 1984, and I watched a portion of the National Democratic Convention in San Francisco. 

I was unaware that he had already come out in favor of rights for gays and lesbians and yet at that time in the sweltering summer of '84, his mention of people like me made me feel seen and respected. 

As I learned more of his place in the world later that year, his messaging and presence was my first glimmer of hope that things could ultimately swing toward a more comfortable world in which to live as an out gay person and yet I did not fully comprehend at the time what I was experiencing. 

May Rev. Jackson rest in peace and rest in power.

Photo credit: my mother's Canon from summer 1984. The magazine was my grandmother's, to be clear.