JESSE JACKSON SPEAKS TO ESSENCE ABOUT HIS OBAMA STATEMENTS ON FOX & MUCH MORE

A little over a month ago, we all got wind of the "real" Jesse Jackson. That whole burrying the N-word stuff he was talking about obviously included everyone but him. People like that kill me, you ever hear your parents tell you not to do something, that is clearly wrong (so they should be telling you not to do it), but then they do it. Well, Jesse Jackson is the chief ambassador vying for BLACK people to surcease the use the N-word, whether we are using it to speak to each other or using it in any other way, his point was that, it should not be used period. Yet, he is at FOX News Network (of all places) and is talking about Senator Barack Obama (off air but it was picked up y a microphone that was left on), he says, “talking down to Black people” and “telling n—s how to behave.” That was pretty hypocritical of Jesse, and he recieved a lot of backlash from BLACKS about his remarks, critics began to dismiss the civil rights activist, and a previous two-time U.S. presidential candidate, as a non-relevant leader inthe BLACK community.

Rev. Jackson addressed some of these issues and much more over at Essence, but here's an excerpt of the interview.

ESSENCE.COM: The rapper Nas and writer Kevin Powell, who is running for Congress in Brooklyn, have said that you particularly, and other civil rights leaders, are no longer relevant and need to step aside. How do you remain relevant to this newer generation?

JACKSON: The reality is that if you’re running for Congress, you need the votes of senior citizens. You need the votes of churches. You are not getting in Congress on a youth vote. That’s not the mass that you need to win a congressional seat. You need an intergenerational, multicultural coalition. And that experience cannot be thrown away. In Dr. King’s time, Dr. King was 34, but he reached out to A. Philip Randolph. It took both A. Philip Randolph and Dr. King in tandem to make the March on Washington take place.

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.

After you read the interview, tell me what you think!!!

Sidebar: Rev. Jesse Jackson was in this situation before, remember when he referred to Jews as "hymies," and to New York City as "Hymietown," circa 1984. Once he admitted to it, he again said that it was a private conversation, as if that makes his remarks less offensive. A leader such as he, should be learning lessons, not repeating actions, right?