I live in the Chicago area and work downtown in the loop which is the heart of the downtown business area for those not familiar. Until recently I was working in a building that has security in the form of doormen and women. These folks sit and watch the doors, assist people with directions, help keep order at the elevators and such, just like most doormen. The entrance that I always used was on the backside which sees a lot less traffic and has fewer elevators which often means you stand around waiting for an elevator.
The morning doorman for this entrance is an older African-American gentleman who has worked at the building for many years. In over two years of working at the building he and I had usually never had more of a conversation other than how the local sports teams were doing, the weather, or just a polite "Hello" when I came through the lobby on my way to the elevators.
The other day, right after the comments from Jesse Jackson's appearance on Fox news came to light, the doorman (who's name is also Jesse) said to me,
"You can keep Jesse Jackson, I'm through with him."
I paused for a moment, caught off guard by his statement and not sure how to react.
Jesse asked me if I had heard the comments, to which I replied that I had. He shook his head in disbelief and then said to me, "and he's a minister!" To which I replied "So he says." We both laughed at my apparent wit and I proceeded into the waiting elevator.
At work I thought about the conversation. I wanted to write a diary at the time but didn't have a chance, and the controversy seemed to settle down. Now it's back in the news and I felt compelled to share my little story.
I don't know much about Jesse the doorman; I don't even know his last name. I do know he lives on the South side of Chicago and that he likes baseball. Based on his appearance I would guess that he is in his sixties which would make him part of Jesse Jacksons generation. Jesse doesn't know much about me, other than I'm younger, white and that I like baseball too.
What struck me most about our little exchange was that Jesse must have been fairly upset about the comments by the Rev. Jackson for him to say what he did to me, a person he hardly knows and who really only has one common interest with him. From our exchange, I would take it that at one point he felt that Rev. Jackson did speak for him. Apparently this is no longer the case.
For me, this conversation gave me a much deeper understanding and appreciation of just how Obama is touching people and how his message is resonating with all generations.
I apologize for a lack of links and quotes as the building wouldn’t give me a copy of the security camera tapes to prove that this conversation actually occurred. Also, this wasn’t meant to be a diary about my thoughts on Jesse Jackson, racial issues or the media talking heads and how they spun the comments. What this diary is about, is two men, from very different backgrounds and generations, sharing a brief conversation that showed me just how important this election is and that change really is coming for all of us.