City officials, faith leaders, and community members gathered Friday outside Oakland City Hall to celebrate the legacy of the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. and unveil a portrait in the civil rights leader’s memory.
Jackson was a prominent activist in the civil rights movement who died Feb. 17. He was 84. Apart from his activism, he also sought the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 but was unsuccessful on both occasions.
Hayward-based muralist Andrew Kong Knight painted the portrait of Jackson, which was unveiled during Friday’s memorial.
“I started this painting the day after I heard he passed,” said Knight after unveiling his painting on the steps of City Hall. “He was the one who inspired me to vote for the first time … he inspired me through my life.”
Knight said that he intends to donate the portrait to the Chicago-based Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a social justice nonprofit that Jackson founded.
A representative from Mayor Barbara Lee’s office said that she could not attend the memorial but read a statement at Friday’s event in which Lee referred to Jackson as a “close friend and a mentor.”
Lee also issued a mayoral proclamation declaring March 7 as Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. Day.
In her statement, Lee said, “Rev. Jackson’s connections to Oakland run deep. He stood with this community during moments of challenge and in moments of progress, always lifting the call to justice and opportunity for those too often left behind.”