There is no question that Jackson’s two Presidential runs had a major role in raising black citizens not only closer to equality in the U.S. but also to the perception of equality. Jackson was a gifted orator and acutely intelligent: it is not an exaggeration to give him substantial credit for Americans accepting the concept of a black President, which had not long beforee seemed inconceivable. The fact that Barack Obama was a disappointing and destructive force as POTUS cannot be blamed on Jackson. He opened a door that needed to be opened. What and who came through it was not Jesse’s fault.

Jackson is a major historical and cultural figure, and I wish I could justify elevating him to the status of Ethics Hero. I can’t. Jackson should have embraced the message that Bill Cosby, a far more flawed messenger, tried to sell to the black community. He sometimes made a pass at it, as when he said in 2015, “There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps… then turn around and see somebody white and feel relieved.” But that shocking admission came too late, after his influence had waned.

Jackson, like King, his mentor, also undermined his moral authority by engaging in some of the self-destructive cultural habits of the American black community.. He had a child out of wedlock with a staffer. He was sometimes openly anti-Semitic, as in his infamous characterization of New York City as “Hymietown.” Jackson had an obligation, as the U.S.’s most prominent black man, to take care that he be a positive role model, indeed an impeccable role model. He too often failed to meet that standard. Sadly, he is not alone in that failing among our leasders.

Nor should we hold Jackson responsible for his role in seeding unfortunate and even disastrous cultural and political developments. CNN says he “helped pave the way for a more progressive Democratic Party”—you know, today’s party of censorship, hate, violence, division, totalitarian aspirations, open borders, metastasizing Marxism anti-white/anti-male discrimination—and “the Black Lives Matter movement.” Not mention Kamala Harris, Al Sharpton and the George Floyd riots. Gee, thanks, Jesse! As I said. whether Jackson’s ultimate influence was positive or negative is a close call.

From the standpoint of judging a life by whether an individual left this world better than when he entered it, however, Jesse Jackson must be judged successful. He meets the qualifications of a great American, and, in the ultimate analysis, an ethical one.