ROANOKE, VA. – Southwest Virginia is pausing to remember a giant of the civil rights movement — Rev. Jesse Jackson — and the mark he left on our region over decades.
A defining voice of the civil rights era, Jackson first brought his message of justice and equality to Southwest Virginia in January 2006. He stood before a packed auditorium at Virginia Tech, delivering the keynote address for the university’s Martin Luther King Jr. week celebration in Blacksburg.
“It was a high privilege in my life to work with Dr. King. To march with him,” said Jackson, reflecting on his years alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
That visit was historic for the campus in another way: it was the first year Virginia Tech canceled classes in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Jackson challenged the university to live up to the spirit of the day.
“Why was it that this school, with all of its enlightenment and legacy, still needed to come to grips with this day?” said Jackson.
Two years later, in September 2008, Jackson returned to Danville. He walked the same streets where he protested in 1963.
He was joined there by a woman who had been there on Danville’s infamous “Bloody Monday.”
“She got beat while pregnant,” he said.
This time, Jackson’s visit marked a moment of recognition and remembrance: the dedication of the newly named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge.
“Dr. King only wants us to keep building bridges over troubled waters,” said Jackson.
Nearly a decade later, in September 2017, Jackson was back in Southwest Virginia. On this visit, he stopped in Roanoke and Lynchburg as part of his “Healing and Rebuilding” tour. The focus this time was the future: young people, their power at the ballot box, and promoting unity in America.
“Ignorance and fear blinds us,” said Jackson.
Through each visit — in Blacksburg, Danville, Roanoke, and Lynchburg — Jackson carried the same message that defined his life and inspired generations.
“Keep hope alive,” said Jackson.