“Run Jesse Run, Run Jesse Run.
Jesse Jackson for the White House.
We have to vote to get Regan out!
So, Run Jesse Run – Run to win.
Run Jesse Jackson.” – Lyrics, Run Jesse Run, 1984/88
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For those who remember, forgot to remember – or are learning about this for the first time – that was the rallying cry and lyrics supporting the late Rev. Jesse Jackson’s 1984 and 1988 historic campaigns for president of the United States. Now hold that thought for now.
You see, there’s a homegrown connection – “homegrown” in the sense that that rallying cry and lyrics were authored by Staunton, Virginia native and, like me, a proud graduate of Booker T. Washington High School… Moonyene S. Jackson, Esq.
Moonyene, Jesse, et al , 1984
Humm, did you all know that readers? Well neither did yours truly – that is until I happened across a news piece by WHSV TV reporter Ryan Hartnett done the week of Rev. Jackson’s passing. Minutes later I had Jackson on the phone, during which she not only confirmed her authorship of the rallying cry and lyrics but, get this, even sang the lyrics to me over the phone. She then sent me her reflections of Rev. Jackson, the basis for the Hartnett TV piece:
A Personal Reflection on the Passing of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson
There are leaders you admire from a distance. And then there are leaders you walk with.
The passing of Rev. Jesse Jackson is not simply the loss of a public figure. It is the loss of a drum major who kept the cadence of courage when others grew tired. It is the quieting of a voice that taught us to stand taller than our fear and speak louder than our doubts.
To his family, I extend my heartfelt condolences. To those of us who labored beside him — in churches, on street corners, at rally stages, knocking on doors block by block, and phone calling— I know the weight you feel today. It is heavy because we were not spectators. We were participants in something larger than politics. We were participants in possibility.
I am proud — deeply proud — to have worked diligently on both of Rev. Jackson’s historic bids for the presidency of the United States. In 1984, I wrote the song “Run Jesse Run.” It was more than a campaign tune. It was a rallying cry. Under the leadership of Mayor Kenneth Gibson, who served as New Jersey’s Campaign Manager, the song became the ‘anthem’ of Jersey’s Jackson campaign.
Jesse Jackson earned speaking platform at the Democrat National Convention. I was there, in San Francisco with my Jesse rallying song – “Run Jesse Run”.
By 1988, I crafted buttons in Greek organization colors—pink and green, black and gold, purple and gold, crimson and cream etc.—bearing ‘Jesse Jackson ’88.’ The song and those colors spoke for us—when words couldn’t. Millions answered the call
I helped plan and coordinate a campaign rally. I joined the throngs of door knockers. I registered voters. I educated communities. I stood in the trenches where change is slow, personal, and hard-earned. We were not chasing a headline — we were expanding democracy.
Those of us who have worked in the vineyards of equal rights, humanity, and respect understand this moment differently. Each time one of our tireless leaders is called to eternal rest, it feels as though a chapter closes — but the book remains unfinished. Rev. Jackson taught us that the struggle is not seasonal. It does not retire. It does not end when one voice grows silent. The work continues — in courtrooms, classrooms, in city halls, in churches, and across the Diaspora.
We who remain are not simply mourners. We are witnesses. And witnesses have responsibility.
The best way to honor his legacy is not with polished tributes alone, but with continued commitment — to vote, to organize, to teach, to challenge injustice, and to lead boldly within our own spheres of influence. He ran so that others could walk into rooms once closed to them. Now we must continue to run our leg of the race.
Rest in peace among the Ancestors, Jesse, whom I am sure welcomed you warmly! Ase’
The struggle continues — and we are still here.
Respectfully, Moonyene S. Jackson, Esq.
Moonyene, we’ll thank and end with this message ….“Run to win Moon, run to win!”
Terry Howard is an award-winning writer, a contributing writer with the Chattanooga News Chronicle, The American Diversity Report, The Douglas County Sentinel, TheBlackmarket.com, recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award, and third place winner of the Georgia Press Award.
