Jackson first stepped onto the national political scene in 1995 when he was elected to succeed Congressman Mel Reynolds, who left office under a cloud of scandal. Jackson again captured the national spotlight when he introduced his father as one of the keynote speakers to the 1996 Democratic National Convention. The younger Jackson is the 91st African American ever to serve in the U.S. Congress, a privilege he is convinced would not have been possible had it not been for the struggle of his parents and others who participated in the civil rights struggle. 

Characterizing himself as a public servant not a politician with a progressive agenda, Jackson is part of a new generation of African-American leaders who see their work as an extension of their parents' struggle. 

According to the Joint Center for Political Studies, Blacks are being elected to political office in record numbers, and the trend toward expansion continues. Between 1992 and 1993, the number of Black elected officials increased by 6.1 percent. In '93, the Joint Center found 8,015 African Americans holding public office (at all levels of government). At the local level, the National League of Cities has found that, as of March 1997, roughly 8.15 percent (1,240) of the 19,363 local elected officials (mayors and council members) responding to survey questions about race and gender are African American. 

However, the widening of opportunity for Blacks in elected office has its challenges challenges, Jackson says, emerging Black public servants must prepare to face. 

What happened to us in 1896 is happening again to us at the turn of this century, he says, referring to the backlash period following Plessy v. Ferguson, when separate but equal became the law. Within five years of that Supreme Court ruling, the number of African Americans in Congress fell from 22 to zero. Jackson sees the current backlash impacting African-American politicians as not just a backlash against Blacks, but a structural backlash. 

To effectively combat this trend, he believes emerging public servants must have a firm grasp on the history not only of American politics, but of the role African Americans have played in it. 

We must have a sense of the cycles that African Americans go through politically.  

Jackson was born on March 11, 1965 in Greenville, SC, only a few days after the infamous Bloody Sunday incident, during which violence broke out following a non-violent voting rights demonstration in Alabama led by John Lewis (now a Congressman representing Georgia), Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others. Jackson's father, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., also participated. Several of the demonstrators were beaten by a White lynch mob for their part in registering African-American students to vote. Among them was a white Unitarian minister who died the same day Jackson, Jr. was born. 

I've always had a sense that I was going to engage in some form of public service, Jackson says. I wasn't quite sure it would take the form of elected office, but I did know that I wanted to participate in the struggle to advance the cause of social justice, not only for African Americans, but for all people in our country who have been historically discriminated against.  

Jackson's route to public office has included a combination of academic pursuits and grass roots community organizing. His status as the son of a prominent African-American political figure admittedly has factored into his success, but it is not the only factor. 

An alumnus of North Carolina A&T University, from which he graduated magna cum laude, Jackson also holds a master's degree in Theology from the Chicago Theological Seminary, and a law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law. Prior to winning a seat in Congress, he served as the national field director of the National Rainbow Coalition, where he instituted national non-partisan voter registration and voter education programs. Jackson agrees that preparation for a life of public service often includes studying traditional disciplines such as political science, law and history, but he believes the course of study one chooses to pursue in college is not as important as cultivating a commitment to ethics, integrity, knowledge of history and courage. 

Our people are looking for someone to defend them, he says. You don't have to be studied in a particular discipline to do that. You just have to have an interest in working in these communities and not be afraid to stand on a corner and shake somebody's hand. 

Voters tend to vote for someone who is articulate and intelligent, but most important to the voters, is that the person is sincere, that they care, and that that caring comes across to them...I like to feel good about myself going to bed at night, and I don't want to feel as if I didn't do God's will, from my perspective, on a given day. So you've got to know when to speak up, when not to speak up and don't just be up here talking if you 'ain't got 'nothin to say.  

Remaining in touch with the less privileged segments of one's constituency and maintaining an understanding of the issues that concern them are other principles Jackson believes are of utmost importance for African Americans seeking careers in public service. 

Sometimes when we get around average people, after we get our degrees and stuff, we don't want to be around 'em no 'mo...I am capable of speaking the 'King's English,' but I am in Congress today, as the 91st African American who ever served, because of my ability to bridge the communication gap between the 'King' and poor people who need representation.  

Jackson advises students considering careers in public service to find someone whose work they respect and seek opportunities to intern with that person or work as a campaign volunteer. Internships can be found through the Congressional Black Caucus, and through a variety of other programs at the federal, state and local levels. 

The key is to [intern] for a [public servant] who isn't just interested in being liked, but someone who is interested in being respected, he adds. 

The burgeoning of Black elected officials has coincided with an increase in the number of Blacks holding behind-the-scenes jobs in politics and public service. One of these is speechwriter Terry Edmonds, author of President Clinton's address at the 1997 Morgan State University commencement ceremony and a contributor to his commencement address on race delivered in June at U.C. San Diego. Edmonds is the first African American to ever work as a full-time speechwriter for a U.S. president. Opportunities to work as legislative aides, press secretaries, lobbyists, speechwriters, campaign organizers, etc. abound, as do opportunities to become political appointees serving on special legislative advisory committees. 

Despite the current backlash, Jackson hopes that more Black collegians pursue careers in public service. In the absence of economic power, political power is still the most effective tool available to African Americans for achieving social and economic justice. 

Political power is important because the political system is the distribution system for the economic system. The political system also defines the context of [economic] debates...As long as we have one man one vote, then we can always get political power.