A historic force to be reckoned with, a giant to be mourned. Our panel pays tribute to the Rev Jesse Jackson | Hugh Muir, Diane Abbott, Nadine White

"He came and spoke at an all-seats-taken, queue-around-the-block event organised by Operation Black Vote. And after 10 minutes of his address, part lectern exposition, part cadence-littered sermon, the reason for much of the fuss and awe became apparent. I am somebody. Shorn of context, the sentence sounds self evident, perhaps trite. Adapted from a 1950s poem by Rev William Holmes Borders Sr, Jackson made it his mantra."

"When he led that chant, as he often did, in front of thousands of people, it said everything to those of us entreated by society, its leaders and its institutions to believe that we were less than somebody. I may be poor, but I am somebody, I may be young, but I am somebody, I may have made mistakes, but I am somebody."

Jesse Jackson possessed a commanding aura, grand stature, and a radiant drive marked by sharp intelligence and skilled political craft. He balanced performative public oratory with a quieter private voice that still conveyed message and purpose. He energized audiences with the three-word mantra 'I am somebody,' adapted from a 1950s poem, which affirmed dignity for those marginalized by society. He led practical initiatives including Operation Push, voter mobilization campaigns, hostage-negotiation efforts, and multiple presidential bids. His mass dissemination of empowering rhetoric often proved as influential as his tangible organizational and political actions.

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