Jesse Jackson on “Sesame Street,” c. 1971: “I Am Somebody”
In its January 9 e-newsletter the Issues4LifeFoundation entered the wayback machine and took us to 1971, when Rev. Jesse Jackson recited the powerful poem, “I Am Somebody” on the children’s television show, Sesame Street.
“I Am Somebody,” which Jackson elsewhere called the Black National Anthem, was written in the 1950s by Rev. William Borders, Sr.
It is particularly poignant that in 1971 Jackson was adamantly pro-life, and here he was on Sesame Street teaching little children that they may be small, and their faces and hair my be different, but they were still to be “respected, protected, never rejected.”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WibYko7Gp8[/youtube]
Here is Jackson in 1972 reciting the poem at Wattstax, again poignant in that he reminded blacks that although they might be “poor” and “unskilled,” they were still “beautiful” and “must be respected and protected.” Watch clip beginning at 1:41…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWIFtVpaIPI[/youtube]
Finally, here’s a short clip of Jackson reciting part of the “I Am” poem at the beginning of a sermon, unknown date. I’m struck by how electrifying a speaker Jackson was, which makes his demise all the sadder. What a loss to the pro-life and African-American communities that he succumbed to the culture of death…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkCgVrOITwo[/youtube]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
Again, another politician whose conscience was thrown under the bus at the expense of political expediency. SELL OUT.
Nice medallion, though.
My husband remembers hearing him talk at MI State during this time frame when he was talking about his single mother who could have aborted him. but money talks to him these days.
to second courtnay SELL OUT! and 2 words for him….make 3 black genocide abortion!
whenever i see jackson or sharpton today i turn them off. when will they realize that the dumbocRATS are not behind them. our abortion clinics arent in the elite neighborhoods. they are in the ghetto in the middle of black poor neighborhoods. poor children are targets for death. poor children dont deserve love ? a toy? a cuddle or a hug? a first day of school? poor children deserve to die? how warped.
i am somebody? your lucky your mom birthed you or you would have been a dead baby.
Jackson and Sharpton support the Democrats, the political party that spawned the KKK, segregation, and lynching. Why is anyone surprised they would turn a blind eye to the abortion of black babies?
BTW, Jackson at one time condemned abortion as black genocide.
Jill,
What Jackson needs from the pro-life community is prayer to the Sovereign God for opened eyes and a contrite heart instead of vitriol…you see, he, too, is a victim of the Purveyor of Death, because when a baby (or mother) dies at the hands of an abortion provider, it does not mean they were the only victims…
…when a man or woman deliberately enters a mother’s body to remove a baby for the purpose of not allowing it to develop, grow, and live,
…when people inside and outside of an abortuary are there to facilitate the process of eliminating human babies,
…when celebrities promote and advocate for the “right” to abortion,
…when politicians create and promote laws to allow for abortions at any time for any reason,
…when people say, “Well, I don’t personally believe in abortion, but women have a right to do what they want with their own bodies…”,
…when the general populace thinks, “Oh no, not again with that abortion mess!…”,
…when nations create–or consider enacting–population control practices that limit the number of children families can have,
…when the heart of man is so hard as not to consider Proverbs 24:11-12, and by so ignoring those sage words, denies the existence of the God Who created him,
…these have all fallen victim to the lies: there is no hope; there is no life worth living; above all, there is no God.
The enemy of our souls wants us to lash out in anger and with venom, especially against those who appear to be modern-day Judas Iscariots. But to speak out for the lives of the innocent being drawn to death requires that we have the mind, the heart, and the way of Him Who moves on us to speak. In such a role, we are, after all, His representatives.
Perhaps Mr. Jackson needs a return visit to the Cross or a Damascus Road experience…at any rate, by praying for such an event for him, we also prepare for our own eyes to be opened, our own hearts to be softened, and our own ears to be attuned to the action God, so wisely, directs us to perform.