Conclusion

Abstract

Abstract The conclusion considers Jackson’s complex legacy and ongoing significance. It highlights his understanding of power, more specifically, his reputation for being a kingmaker, conviction that Black communities must have power to wield it, commitment to working within the system to bring about change, and unhealthy attachment to maintaining power as a cautionary tale. Jackson’s legacy represents a challenge in that it is a mixed legacy. On the one hand, he was on the wrong side of the civil rights movement and grasped power too tightly. On the other hand, he appears to be forward thinking on economic empowerment, landownership, education, and racial-ethnic power dynamics in churches. He leaves behind a legacy that was both wrong and right, enigmatic and dynamic, infused with vice and virtue.