By Barnett Wright | The Birmingham Times
Hezekiah Jackson IV, former president of the Metro Birmingham NAACP and leader of more than a dozen civic groups in the city, was honored Saturday as a man who interacted with high-level leaders but never lost touch with ordinary citizens.
Mr. Jackson, who died on August 6 at the age of 65, was honored during a 90-minute service at Sardis Baptist Church in West Birmingham and honored as a political activist, community empowerment guru, family patriarch, neighborhood and community leader and foot soldier in the fight for civil rights.
Rev. Andra Sparks, senior pastor of 45th Street Baptist Church in East Lake, of which Jackson was a member, delivered the eulogy, saying that Jackson was a “church boy… (who) treated people the way the church said they should be treated, treated people like they were important the way the church said they should be treated.”
He continued, “Did you know that there are people in this world that people don’t care about? Hezekiah told them they were important. He made it clear (to citizens) that they were valuable, and that’s why his work was so important to our community,” said Rev. Sparks, who is also chief judge of the Birmingham Municipal Court.
Mr. Jackson is a native of Birmingham and the East Birmingham and Kingston neighborhoods. He attended city schools and Miles College, earned an associate degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in business administration and became a certified public accountant.
He has led and participated in numerous campaigns for Congress, Governor, House of Representatives, Senate, Judge, County Clerk, Mayor, City Council, and Obama for America.
But his work on civil and human rights as well as community and civic affairs has made him one of Birmingham’s most significant and influential figures over several decades, says Rev. Sparks.
Mr. Jackson has held leadership positions with nearly two dozen groups, including more than 30 years with the Metro Birmingham NAACP, including 20 years as president; leader of two neighborhoods: East Birmingham and Inglenook Community; and chair of the Citizen Advisory Board, which oversees Birmingham’s 99 neighborhoods.
“When he intervened in your situation, he made a difference…” the pastor said. “Hezekiah posed as a foot soldier, but in reality he was a general. The best generals have served as foot soldiers. They understand the road and the work, they understand the sweat and tears that come with the work that we have to do.”
Bishop Calvin Woods, president emeritus of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) for the state of Alabama, was among those who honored Mr. Jackson: “When the gates of heaven open wide, Brother Hezekiah will enter, along with many others who have fought in the battle for freedom… along with all those who are in this righteous fight because they have faithfully and courageously stood up and fought that all men, women, boys and girls might be free.”
Juandalynn Givan, a close friend of the 60th District congressman, read a “love letter from Hez” he wrote in the days before his death, in which he thanked those who made sure he was “casket ready and looking as smart as possible.”
He wrote to his family, in part: “Thank you for your understanding,” Givan read, “just because I didn’t always come by or you didn’t participate or participate in my programs doesn’t mean I don’t love you, it doesn’t mean I love anyone more than you… My struggles don’t have to become your struggles, (politics) is a contact sport. It can be brutal and is not for the faint of heart. And that’s why I chose to live a very different life on this journey, but I knew you were with me every step of the way. Just remember that you were everywhere, every breath, every smile as I stepped into the spotlight as sharp as I was.”
But Mr. Jackson, who helped plan his homecoming, may have had the last words, writing for the program: “Thank you to the many who have taught me along the way, mentored me, encouraged me, tolerated me, served by my side, loved me, and overlooked my mistakes and recognized my needs! Until we meet again.”
