Neil Steinberg
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
His message, in a way, was amazingly consistent for 70 years.
I mean, what is racism?
Racism strips a person of their dignity.
And he said, no, no, you have dignity.
You can be a single mother on welfare.
You have dignity.
His message, you are somebody.
He said to other people, and he said to himself, I am somebody.
I'm Jesse Jackson.
I'm important.
I contrast him to King, who in a way was simplified and beatified by dying so young.
He was well-spoken.
He was a martyr.
He was an idol.
And Jackson lived a long time, and his legacy became very complicated.
When he was a student, a college student, he had to write a speech actually on patriotism, ironically.
And he went to the Greenville Public Library and tried to check out a book, and they turned him away.
And the humiliation rankled Jesse Jackson, and he returned with seven friends and became the Greenville Eight and was arrested.