I’m only sometimes a witness to history as it happens. Mostly I’m there after the fact. Still, it’s a part of my job and a part of who I am that I enjoy having a front row seat to as much of the interesting and unusual of the world as I can.
Jesse Jackson has been around for a while and I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing him a couple of times in the past.
It’s still kind of a cool thing to see him speak in person, even if the topic includes the death of a teenager.
My reporter and I were assigned to cover the talk Jesse Jackson was giving to a group of high school students who were classmates of Kendrec McDade.
That’s the 19 year old killed by Pasadena Police Officers after having received a report that McDade and a 17 year old had held up a man at gunpoint.
It’s a sad and complicated case and even sadder for the fact that even when justice is served, it won’t bring back Kendrec McDade.
The talk Jesse Jackson gave was inspiring. Most of us have heard Jesse Jackson’s slogans before, but it’s one thing to see the in a news report and another thing to hear them in person.
I think the message that Jesse Jackson was trying to get across is something that I’ve always tried to keep in mind.
We may not control everything that happens to us, but we can control our actions and the situations we place ourselves into.
I find that if you do everything right, obey the law and follow a strong moral code, well, bad things can still happen to you.
It’s just a lot less likely.
For me, I think it’s worth it to try and get the odds in my favor.
