In 1984, I had an assignment to photograph Jesse Jackson as he campaigned for the Presidency in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I had access to Jackson because my brother was the NH campaign director. I had to get Press credentials from the Secret Service, where I represented Black Star Picture Agency who would then get ‘first look’ at the images. I met Rev. Jackson in the local campaign headquarters in Portsmouth and photographed him in a very small upstairs office as he was interviewed by a reporter from In These Times magazine. Later as the exhausted candidate motored to another campaign stop, Jackson fell asleep on my brother’s shoulder. I love these photos for their drama and intensity. Photographed with Canon F1, various lenses, Dynalite strobes, on Fujichrome slide film.
A few days later, the scandal broke where Jackson previously used an antisemitic slur calling New York “Hymietown”. I drove in a high speed multi-vehicle convoy from Portsmouth to Manchester, NH with the candidate and staff, the Secret Service and press corps to a synagogue where he gave, what the press later reported, as an apology. I was there and I did not hear a real apology from Rev. Jackson. He stated that he thought it was said in a private conversation with a small group that included a black reporter from the New York Times. He had many Jewish supporters so I found his excuse to be troubling.
