In his 84 years of life, the late Rev. Jesse Jackson was no stranger to Chattanooga.
In response to a planned neo-Nazi rally in Chattanooga in 2014, Jackson came to speak at Olivet Baptist Church. Olivet Bishop Kevin Adams has never forgotten Jackson’s words.
“He said, ‘It takes two hands to clap to make a sound,’ and he said, ‘If you take one away, there’s no sound,'” Adams said by phone, recalling his conversation with Jackson before the civil rights leader spoke to the crowd. “He said, ‘We’re not going to do anything but sit here and pray. We’re not going down there to challenge them, because we would be the other hand.'”
Jackson taught Adams that there were times it was necessary to speak, but also there were times when there was power in silence, Adams said.