MT. MORRIS -- Civil rights leader, Jesse L. Jackson gave a rousing sermon at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Mount Morris Sunday morning. He touched on a wide range of subjects from black history month to flint's struggling economy.
Reverend Jesse Jackson typically speaks to a national audience but Sunday, the message was personal. Jackson spoke to a small audience whose heartache grows as income shrinks.
“When trouble happens, Reverend Jackson comes to our community,” says Bishop Neil Roberson, pastor of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson is no stranger to Mid-Michigan. This past august, Jackson visited Saginaw, calling for peace after the police shot and killed Milton Hall.
Sunday, the message was wide-ranging. Jackson preached about black history
We were taught in law, in religion, in politics, and in the economy that blacks were inferior beings cursed by god,” says Jackson.
The message also struck close to home. Jackson talked about crime, poverty and the auto industry
“We didn't bail them out for them to leave us out,” says Jackson.
“To see him in person and to be able to share with him, it's an honor to stand with history, you know it's an honor,” says Roberson.
But Jackson’s visit isn't just novelty. City leaders say they're taking his message to heart.
“He's giving voice to a lot of the concerns that I hear everyday from people in our community,” says Dayne Walling, mayor of Flint.
"We are not each other's problem, we're the solution,” says Jackson.
City leaders say they will take Jackson’s message to the statehouse steps as well as Capitol Hill.
