Jesse Jackson, a prominent American civil rights leader, was remembered as part of a lineage that includes his mentor Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela, figures he said were inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. Jackson — who, according to the source, died on Tuesday — made the comparison during a 2008 keynote in New Delhi marking the 60th anniversary of Gandhi’s martyrdom, calling Gandhi the “spiritual godfather” of such leaders.
Jackson carried forward the non‑violent struggle that King championed, a fight he said produced breakthroughs that also helped Indian immigrants in the United States. M.R. Rangaswami, founder of Indiaspora, wrote in a condolence post recalling a conversation with Jackson: “The Indian community owes an enduring debt to the African‑American community. The courage and sacrifice that led to the Civil Rights Act also made immigration reform possible, opening America’s doors to people of colour that included many of us!”
Speaking in New Delhi about Gandhi’s ongoing relevance, Jackson said, “Even 60 years after his martyrdom, his dreams of democracy, peace and human rights are alive. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King were dreamers who marched to a different beat and heard a different sound.”
He argued that Gandhi’s vision for democracy, decolonisation and human rights — and his quest to end enmity based on class, tribe, race and gender — still has momentum. Hailing Gandhi’s imprint on global history, Jackson said that, “for the most part, all of Africa, Asia, South, Central and Latin America and the Caribbean have been decolonised in the last sixty years — most of the world’s people.”
Jackson warned that “nuclear war and greed remain our threats” but insisted that “non‑violence and Satayagraha, soul force, remains our therapy, and the only window from which the peace we seek is possible.”
He also acknowledged the role of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in India’s freedom struggle. During a 2014 visit to Kolkata he signed the visitors’ book at Netaji Bhawan with the line, “Gandhi plus Bose equals Liberation,” and spoke at an Indian Institute of Management on how globalisation could improve lives.
Advocating a broader internationalism, Jackson proposed replacing the notion of “foreigner” with common international rules that deliver economic justice, describing his stance as the “Save the House” principle — if the house is on fire, you cannot save only your own room. He recalled during his 1984 Democratic presidential bid citing then‑prime minister Indira Gandhi — “can run India, a nation of 600 million people” — to argue for a woman running mate; his daughter Santita said this helped lead Walter Mondale to select Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman on a major party’s vice‑presidential ticket. (IANS)
Original Source: https://www.sentinelassam.com/more-news/international/jesse-jackson-was-in-lineage-of-anti-racism-icons-whose-spiritual-godfather-was-gandhi
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Publish Date: 2026-02-19 14:10:00
