By Cary Shuman
Chelsea City Councilor Calvin T. Brown participated in a memorial tribute to the Rev. Jesse Jackson Feb. 22 at the Grace Church of All Nations in Dorchester.
The Rev. Jackson, who became one of the most influential African-American activists in the history of the United States and twice ran for president in 1984 and 1988, died on Feb. 17, 2026. He was 84.
The Rev. Jackson was a superb orator who concluded his exhilarating speech at the 1988 Democratic Convention with his famous phrase, “Keep hope alive!” The Rev. Jackson had a unique way of inserting clever, rhyming phrases, alliterative terms, and uplifting messages in his powerful speeches such as “If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it, I know I can achieve it,” and “It is time to turn to each other, not on each other.”
Brown said he met and spoke to the Rev. Jesse Jackson on several occasions. “I have always been impressed with him as a pioneer of the civil rights movement and history with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and so many others. I am personally saddened by the news, and I know many in the world share the same sorrow for our fallen hero,” said Brown.
Brown said he was present at the Rev. Jackson’s last speaking engagement in Massachusetts.
“It was a blessing to have been invited to Grace Church of All Nations to hear Rev. Jesse Jackson last preaching engagement in Massachusetts,” said Brown.
Brown said he was also “honored” to have been invited to speak in a video tribute to the Rev. Jackson that was shown at Sunday’s service.
In that video, Brown said, “I think Jesse Jackson will be remembered as someone who really, truly cared about the American fabric. Jesse Jackson ran for president two times. He was a vulnerable person back then because people thought he was militant, but he wasn’t really militant. Jesse Jackson was a solid person that Black people and people of color truly got behind and wanted to really support his candidacy. But at that time, the time was not right. However, because of his run for the presidency, he opened up doors for other people of color for national office, United States Senate, and as we know, Barack Obama for president of the United States.”