The extremely sad news of the passing of the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson reached me at 4:15 a.m. on Feb. 17, 2026. My youngest son, Elton, called me while on his way to work. I am currently visiting his home in Baltimore for two more weeks. “Ma,” he said, “I just heard on the radio that Jesse Jackson died.” It was a heavy, somber moment that immediately transported me back decades to the height of his influence.
A Vision in Bronze
In 1983, during the Rev. Jackson’s first historic run for president of the United States, God gave me a specific vision: to cast a bronze bust of the civil rights leader. I commissioned the late Retha Walden Gambaro, a renowned sculptor of Creek Indian heritage, to mold his image. That bust now sits as the centerpiece in the front office of the Operation PUSH headquarters in Chicago, a permanent testament to his endurance and our shared history.
The Grant Sisters of Georgia Avenue
That same year marked a turning point for my own family. Known throughout Washington, D.C., as the “Grant Sisters of Georgia Avenue,” my sisters and I launched our family business: Critique Career Management Services. Our hearts were full of adrenaline, and we carried a divine mandate to bring “Jobs, Peace, and Freedom” to the District.
I felt a spiritual light, akin to Saul’s Damascus Road experience, calling me to sow my expertise back into our community. I had mastered recruitment and interviewing strategies while working at Oakland’s Children’s Hospital in California, and I was determined to use those tools to empower others.
The Silence Before the Breakthrough
The “honeymoon phase” of ministry and business is often short. We had a dynamic grand opening featuring the Hon. Walter Fauntroy (D.C. delegate), news anchor Fred Thomas, and two D.C. Council members. But soon after the applause faded, the phones fell silent.
As daughters of North Carolina sharecroppers, we knew how to toil in the fields of tobacco and cotton, but we were still learning to cultivate a business in the concrete city. This silence was not a failure; it was a “cocoon” moment. Just as the Rev. Jackson taught us to “Keep Hope Alive,” we learned that the quiet struggle is often the precursor to the clouds — the necessary pressure before the breakthrough.
Historical Context: 1983-1984
The Era of Action
In November 1983, the Rev. Jesse Jackson announced his candidacy for president, becoming the second African American to seek the Democratic nomination. His campaign focused on the “Rainbow Coalition,” uniting the poor, minorities, and progressives. Small minority-owned businesses like Critique Career Management began to rise, fueled by a new sense of political and economic possibility in Washington, D.C.
Reinventing yourself is a holy metamorphosis. Before you can soar like a butterfly, you must first endure the crawl and the crushing silence of the cocoon.
What is the lesson in this, you ask? When the world goes silent, your faith must get loud. If your phone doesn’t ring, use your courage to ring the bells of heaven. Your “crawl” is over; your “flight” is next!
The theology of the “aha moment”: Whatever you are facing, remember — the cocoon isn’t a prison; it’s a dressing room. Your wings are being perfected in the silence. Don’t you ever give up on your dream!
There will be a memorial service in Washington, D.C., hopefully at the District Building, our City Hall, located at 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Please be on the lookout for the memorial service.
Lyndia Grant is a speaker/writer living in the D.C. area. Her radio show, “Think on These Things,” airs Fridays at 6 p.m. on 1340 AM (WYCB), a Radio One station. To reach Grant, go to her website, www.lyndiagrant.com, email lyndiagrantshowdc@gmail.com or call 240-602-6295. Follow her on X @LyndiaGrant and on Facebook.