I am Somebody

In 1972, the Reverend Jesse Jackson sat with a small group of children and recited a litany that was both simple and revolutionary: “I am Somebody.” On the set of Sesame Street—a place devoted to teaching letters and numbers—he taught something even more fundamental: that no matter what you look like, how old you are, where you come from, or how much money you have, you are a precious child of the Divine, worthy of love, justice, and respect.

May you rest in peace, Reverend Jackson. And may the truth you spoke on those brownstone steps continue to live on—in our words, in our work, and in the way we see and treat one another.

I am Somebody

by the Reverend Jesse Jackson (1941 – 2026)

I may be Young
but I am
Somebody.
I may be on Welfare
but I am
Somebody.
I may be Small
but I am
Somebody.
I may make a Mistake
but I am
Somebody!
My clothes are different,
My face is different,
My hair is different,
but I am
Somebody.
I am black, brown, white.
I speak a different language.
But I must be respected,
protected,
never rejected.
I am God’s child.
I am
Somebody!