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Essence magazine editors Tatsha Robertson and Cynthia Gordy sat down with the Rev. Jesse Jackson to discuss the fallout over accusing Senator Barack Obama of "talking down to black people" and "telling n****s how to behave."
The comments, picked up by a microphone during a break for a Fox News interview, prompted critics to dismiss the civil rights activist and two-time U.S. presidential candidate as a relic from the past.
In the interview, Jackson responds to the backlash and explains why he thinks he�s just as relevant as ever. Excerpts are listed below.
ESSENCE.COM: Will we see you at the Democratic National Convention?
JACKSON: Absolutely.
ESSENCE.COM: Will you be playing any role at the convention?
JACKSON: No, not any particular role. I'll be there as an Obama supporter. I have spoken at the last six Democratic conventions, so I wanted to certainly make room for more speakers and broader participation.
ESSENCE.COM: We've seen you champion African-American issues and fight against injustice. Many people simply want to know, when you mentioned the N-word in your off-air remarks about Obama last month�why? They want you to tell them, as an African-American, why did that happen?
JACKSON: It should not have happened. What was private talk became public controversy, and I am embarrassed by that. There is no virtue in that kind of talk, and it should always be discouraged. My appeal even then was that responsibility is a significant message, but our needs require real government intervention and private sector incentives to address the issues of unemployment, building affordable housing and making education more affordable, which really was my point. It was a very painful period for me to have gone through that. The good news is that it's behind us now.
ESSENCE.COM: Have you talked to Obama about it?
JACKSON: Yes. As a matter of fact, he sent me a welcome to the convention and made credentials available to me. We've gone on to the next stage.
ESSENCE.COM: Your son disagreed with you (on the off-air comments). What do you think about your son's comments? Is it further evidence of you not reaching a new generation?
JACKSON: Well, Jesse's a co-chair of the campaign, and he's also a congressman. He felt that pain of that too. He's free to express himself, and it does not bother our relationship as father and son at all. He was taught to give his opinion in our household, and he did it in love. He's tough, he's smart. He has a future in politics. He didn't want the impression to be that my faux pas was his faux pas, because it was not. I respect his right to express himself.
ESSENCE.COM: In Senator Obama's speech that he gave at a Chicago church this past Father's Day, he urged more Black fathers to be involved in their children's lives. He received backlash for that.
JACKSON: Well, the message of responsibility should be broadly applied and not appear to be just directed to Blacks. Black men need to be responsible�they also need to be employed.
ESSENCE.COM: So would you say that children without fathers in the home is not that critical an issue in the Black community?
JACKSON: Men across the board must be more responsible. But again, in the context of the Black situation, we have a requirement for governmental intervention. You've got a million blacks in jail with three or four kids apiece; that's a state of emergency. I think that responsibility was always embraced. But we've got some real structural inequality and exploitation that must also be addressed; that�s all.
ESSENCE.COM: As Senator Obama moves forward in the campaign, do you have any words of advice for him?
JACKSON: I think we have an outstanding candidate. We have the burden now to fully register and vote. There are still maybe 6 to 8 million Blacks unregistered who should not miss this hour, this opportunity. Now that we have a who, let's focus on the what. What is an urban policy that can begin a renewed commitment to educate our children and to employ adults and provide public health care? These are the issues he has embraced. We have a candidate who has a good grasp of the issues that matter. But the burden is upon us now to maximize registration and output.
