S1: Welcome in San Diego , it's Jade Hindman. On today's show , the Reverend Jesse Jackson passed away at 84. We'll talk about his legacy and the march he led here in San Diego more than 40 years ago. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson died earlier today at the age of 84. He is remembered for his long career fighting for peace and justice while continuing to build an inclusive rainbow coalition in the process. He twice ran for president in the 1980s and during his campaign. In 1984 , Jackson visited San Diego , where he led a march across the San Diego Tijuana border.
S2: Let us march to the border and let the whole world know. We will give peace a chance.
S1: Here to talk more about the life and legacy of Jesse Jackson and his visit to San Diego is Seth Magliozzi. He's a professor of anthropology with San Diego State University. Seth , welcome back to Midday Edition.
S3: Thanks , Jadis. Nice to be here.
S1: It's so great to have you here. You know , tell us more about the story of Jackson's visit to San Diego in Tijuana back in July of 1984.
S3: I think there are two key elements to it. The first is to remember that this was only two weeks before the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco. So this was a campaign stunt , and Jackson was a very viable candidate for the nomination. The second thing is this was a march fighting the vilification of immigrants. Um , Jackson came here seeking to defeat the Simpson Mazzoli Bill , which ended up passing in 1986. He called it an ugly , mean spirited bill , and he had 2000 individuals marched with him from Larsen Field in San Isidro across the border , and gave a very powerful speech. Hmm.
S1: Hmm. You know , you mentioned that the bill and the Simpson Mazzoli Act. I mean , his words about that really sound like they could have been from last week , but this was 40 years ago.
S3: Um , one of the most famous things that Jackson ever said , actually , was at this March. He stated that undocumented workers are not illegal aliens. We're talking about people who need help. It's this emphasis on compassion that is so important and is missing from a lot of the rhetoric today. I'd also like to point out that the Trump administration has rekindled that rhetoric of illegal aliens , of criminalizing people for being here. And your point is right on it. It couldn't be more salient in today's world , especially with what's going on with Ice and DHS.
S1: And so many other things , too. You know , it really seems Reverend Jackson was ahead of the curve in many ways on on all of these issues , in particular when it came to the Middle East as well. Tell us more about that.
S3: Yeah , he really was a visionary long before nations and people were rallying for the cause of Palestine. He called Zionism a poisonous weed in 1979. Um , he was an individual that , on behalf of the United States , went to many other countries and fought for freedom and brought people home. Um , whether it was South Africa or Iraq or Cuba. Uh , he was often a special envoy of the president. I also had a thought about him as as I was watching the Super Bowl just a little while ago , Jesse Jackson was calling for unification of the Americas. I mean , this was just like Bad Bunny Super Bowl show in terms of emphasizing a unified America instead of an adversarial set of continents. Wow.
S1: Wow. Um , you know , back to 84.
S3: And Reagan ruled the roost. Um , and that's where I think it's so important to appreciate the fact that Jackson's Rainbow coalition , um , even though they weren't successful in getting the nomination in 84 or 88 , uh , that changed the landscape of political politics and led for this wave , starting in the 90s and beyond , of Democrats in San Diego and Democrats in California. You know , he he emphasizes at this March , red , yellow , brown , black and white. We are all precious in God's sight. That Rainbow Coalition really started here with Jackson. That was his message in the 80s.
S1:
S3: What I would say is he was able to galvanize a lot of support from different groups , but at the same time , there was always a large group protesting him. It his visit in 84 reminds me of Doctor King's visit in 1964 to San Diego , and that both were here fighting racist legislation , that racist legislation passed in both in both accounts , and that these individuals faced many protesters while they were here. Jackson faced many protesters in 1984 , and Doctor King faced many in 1964. Hmm.
S1: Hmm. Well , you know , we heard just a taste earlier , but it's hard to talk about Jesse Jackson without talking about his talents as a speaker. Tell me a bit about that. Yeah.
S3: Yeah. You know , he was a protege of Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. I think we start with that. And and the power of oratory , the power of connection , and also the power of spontaneity. Uh , Jackson did not like to have his speeches written out. And this was whether it was theology or whether it was politics. He liked to read the room. He was very charismatic , and he drew on the energy of others to tailor his speeches and his message. But you're absolutely right. You know , he was he was a communicator. And it's no coincidence that he was very influential in a bunch of leading Democratic presidents , whether it was Bill Clinton or Barack Obama , who also were incredibly skilled orators. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And he had to communicate with those who didn't agree with with what he was trying to do as well. I mean , you mentioned that he had a strong relationship with the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr , who also had a memorable visit here , Also met with a lot of opposition.
S3: One is myth busting. I'm busting the myth of San Diego , Southern California , and all of California being so progressive. It wasn't. It isn't. And that's where history can really show us what the reality was in terms of racist legislation that passed , or numbers of protesters or the plight of these individuals. But I also think there's something optimistic that it shows up. And that is both of these individuals were playing the long game , planning seeds , accepting temporary momentary defeats for this larger goal. You know , Jesse Jackson did get to see a black president. He didn't get to be black president , but he got to see one. And that was heavily due to to his efforts , Doctor King at the same time didn't get to see much of the legislation. Patch passed through the late 60s and early 70s , but but was so responsible for tipping those first dominoes. So I think we can look at it with some optimism as well in terms of influencing the the later generations. You know , I can say personally , I first heard of Jesse Jackson when he showed up on Sesame Street when I was tiny. You know , he was given his I am somebody speech , and I was very young when he was on. And so that's part of that planting seeds for future generations.
S1: It is Black History Month.
S3: Uh , some of his his last public words were were not yet meaning the job isn't done yet. So I think both being impressed with all the progress that's been made , but not getting complacent , and also being aware of new evils and rekindled evils that keep popping up to stay vigilant in this fight.
S1: I've been speaking with Seth Melius , professor of anthropology at San Diego State University. Seth , it is always great to speak with you. Thank you so much.
S3: Thanks , Jay.
S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
