Seven years ago, the world was behind the first African American man running to be President of the United States. While people were getting ready to head to the polls to vote, a very prominent figure in the African American community was caught saying something very crude against the then upcoming President. Was he misunderstood for his comments or did he mean what he said?
Rev. Jesse Jackson was caught in a scandal accusing the then Presidential candidate Barack Obama of talking down on Black people. The media ran with this and made Rev. Jackson seem like he was against the then presidential hopeful for talking down on his own people and possibly trying to get less votes for Obama. Jackson apologized for the comment which was recorded without his knowledge and was in tears when President Obama won the 2008 election.
Fast forward to 2015, seven years after the comments were made, Jackson is sending praises to President Obama…when his run for President is almost up. In his weekly commentary through Chicago Sun-Times, Jackson sheds light on what President Obama has accomplished while in office, focusing on issues that were in complete chaos when he became President. Rev. Jackson also speaks on what needs to be done before President Obama leaves office. While many would read the commentary and feel that he is right for speaking on the positive things President Obama has accomplished, the true question is was the media trying to put these two powerful men against each other?
In 2007, Rev. Jackson was to be a guest on Fox News to speak on the election. While his mic was on, Rev. Jackson can be heard saying, “Barack…he’s talking down to Black people…telling n–s how to behave.”
Fox News threatened to release more of the tape, but Rev. Jackson stopped them in their tracks and apologized for making such a comment. Even though it is known that Rev. Jackson does not bite his tongue when it comes to issues in the community, Fox News could have possibly wanted to throw shade on both men. The world was behind President Obama and could see no wrong in him, so when the comment was released, Rev. Jackson was put on the back burner and dragged for speaking ill on another African American man trying to make a difference in the world. Rev. Jackson was simply speaking on something that he felt was an issue and had no idea that his mic was on when he made the comment. The two men have moved on that comment and the proof is in the commentary Jackson released. But the true question is, Why is it when there are two prominent figures in the world, the media always tries to put these people in the ring? Was Jackson wrong for the comment or just expressing his true feelings? That’s an answer that would be hard to answer, but one thing that is for sure, President Obama has a fan in the Reverend. To read more of Rev. Jackson’s commentary, head to rainbowpush.org.
– Ballah-moni Kollie- (@Gottadream87)
photo credit: theguardian.com
