Did Jesse Jackson Ever Apologize For This?

Years ago, I heard a snippet of a statement by the Rev. Jackson.
It was something like “I was worried when I heard footsteps behind me, but I relaxed when it was a white person”…or words to that effect.
Given the inherent racism of such a statement (i.e. that a black person following him was likely to do him harm), I would be surprised if Jackson did not offer an apology (or clarification) of what he said.
Did he ever offere an apology for his statement?

Not having seen the context of the quote, but knowing who Jackson is and what positions he typically argues for, isn’t it overwhelmingly likely that the sentence you quoted is confessional? In other words, he’s not saying he should have relaxed on seeing the person was white. The force of his statement, I would think, comes from the assumption that he shouldn’t have relaxed just because he saw the person was white.

There’s nothing to apologize for, if I’m reading the statement right.

I believe, though I could be wrong, that the point of his statement was that even he, himself, had been so steeped in the racism of society that he found himself with these deep-seated racist attitudes. The racism of his statement was exactly the point he was trying to make, so I don’t know why he would apologize for it.

Because he was dead wrong, maybe?

Actually he was talking about the harm that black street crime does to black society in general. What he said was: “There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery, then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved.”

So you’re saying he wasn’t relieved to see a white person?

He said: “There is nothing more painful to me … than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery, then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved.”
I can’t find the original speech unfortunately, so I can’t give the actual context. Can anyone else? Personally I interpreted that not as meaning that even Jesse Jackson himself harbors racist sentiments, but that there are some areas of the country where statistically it is more likely that a black man might rob you than a white man, and that this reflects some sort of institutional problem in society (perhaps that inequalities of wealth and opportunity mean that those living in urban poverty, and those driven to crime as a result, are disproportionately black, for instance). But that’s just a guess.

I think you’re overcomplicating this.

According to Wikiquote, he made those statements to a meeting of Operation PUSH in Chicago in 1993. They add that he found the feeling “humiliating.” The original source (which Wikiquote may not be aware of) may be this Mike Royko column.* If that’s the original source, I don’t think we’re going to find the whole speech. But Rokyo says Jackson was talking about crime in the black community, and I think that makes more sense.

*There’s a discrepancy on the dates here: Wikiquote says he made those comments on December 4, 1993, but the Royko column is from December 1. He says Jackson spoke “last Saturday,” which might be November 28.

He was talking about his own feelings, so I don’t see how he could be wrong.

Knowing how many whites feel about the Rev. Jackson he really shouldn’t be relived to see a white person coming up behind him. :eek:

I find myself wondering if **ralph124c ** sits around trying to find something vaguely related to liberals in order to get his outrage on.

Given the enlightened responses so far, can we say that the answer to the OP’s question is NO and leave it at that?

I got as far as the thread title when I guessed the answer would be “no”.

Outrage? I asked a question. I did not reference any “outrage” as you imagine.
Mods: please clarify-did I express any outrage?:eek:

You said the statement was inherently racist, so it sounded like you were expressing some disapproval. That said, it’s probably better to keep this discussion on the topic of what Jackson said and whether or not he apologized for it rather than speculating about people’s motives.

Ralph is shocked -shocked! - at the idea that he was outraged.
Anyway, I don’t see why Jackson need apologize.

Jackson was talking about how black criminals were hurting black people, both directly by victimizing them and indirectly by perpetuating the stereotype of black people being criminals.

How is that an accusation of racism and what is there in this idea that needs an apology?

I think it’s more like he should have expressed remorse for not rising above the culture and thinking that way himself. At one point in time, he apparently believed the stereotype.

However, in context, it appears he was expressing said remorse, as he was advocating how to fix the problem.

Basically, he said he sometimes experienced a particular feeling that made him feel ashamed. I don’t see how that’s anything he has to apologize for admitting. He was expressing it as a feeling that he didn’t like, not as a defense of the feeling. What is he supposed to apologize for, exactly, and to who?

Looked at another way, you could say that the original statement was itself the apology.