Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) "I'm not going to say I was shocked. We knew he was ailing. We're going to miss his tenacity and grit," said Reverend Mark Blue, President of the Buffalo NAACP and Pastor of Second Baptist Church in Lackawanna.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson died Tuesday after battling a rare neurological disorder. He was 84.
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Jackson is being remembered as a champion for civil rights. Blue said that will continue to live on.
He remembered how Jesse Jackson was often able to negotiate and do things that some Presidents were not able to do, in bringing hostages back to the United States, for example.
While never meeting Jackson personally, Blue said he was in his presence many times.
"I attended rallies that he spoke at. I was at the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists when he spoke there. It was an awesome feeling just to be around him and in his presence. He electrified the crowd."
Blue added that he will never forget being in his presence.
"He spoke truth to power. He was never coy or shy in that area. But he was also a gentleman's gentleman."
Is there someone who is going to pick up the mantel for Jackson, and carry on the mission?
Blue said there is a little Jesse Jackson in everyone who has been oppressed, and demeaned.
"His spirit will always continue even if his presence is not here. He instilled in all of us, a fight that won't quit."