Jackson Fall Met with Compassion
Jan. 19 -- While the Rev. Jesse Jackson deals in private with the public revelation that he fathered a child out of wedlock, African-Americans across the country are struggling with the realization that a civil rights hero may have fallen.
Jackson supporters say they felt a shared initial reaction — shock, disbelief and disappointment — but whether that disappointment festers into cynicism toward a man who has stood as a moral bellwether, or be eased by forgiveness of human frailty remains to be seen.
"This is no time for evasions, denials or alibis," Jackson, a former aide to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., said in a statement released just as tabloids were about to break the Baptist minister's story. "I fully accept responsibility and I am truly sorry for my actions."
Jackson, who very publicly counseled President Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, said he loves the 20-month-old child he fathered with a 39-year-old worker at his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition office in Washington and has "assumed responsibility for her emotional and financial support since she was born."
Jackson said his wife and children already knew about the child, and asked his "many friends and supporters for their "forgiveness, understanding and prayers."
While the revelation about Clinton's affair with Lewinsky seemed to have little impact on his effectiveness as president, Jackson faces an entirely different challenge if he is to maintain his standing within the black community.
Forgiveness on the Street
In New York, Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles, the reaction on the street was cautious, and perhaps surprisingly forgiving for a man who has long urged black men to be more responsible to their families.
"Well he's human like the rest of us … let's not forget the good things he's done," one Chicago woman said. "He makes mistakes like the rest of us, but he's done a lot of good for a lot of people, so if we can tolerate [mistakes] in the president why not Jesse Jackson?"
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