Rev. Jesse Jackson remembered for inspiring Wilmington voters during 1980s visits
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Rev. Jesse Jackson visited Wilmington several times throughout his life, especially in the 1980s.
Jackson spoke with WWAY on a number of occasions.
During a visit in 1983, Jackson attended a prayer breakfast and spoke with seniors at a local high school about the importance of voting.
“What’s significant to me about the democracy is that it has now made room for people who were locked out so we can now look forward to elections for transition and not look forward to revolutions,” Jackson said. “We don’t have to now explode through riots or implode through drugs. We can simply use our vote to engage in growth and peaceful transition.”
Jackson made other visits to southeastern North Carolina in 1984 when he was campaigning as a presidential candidate.
“Hands that once pulled barges, hands that once picked cotton today can pick a president,” Jackson said at an event in Wilmington. “Let’s march on.”
Jonathan Barfield Jr., a former New Hanover County Commissioner, remembers Jackson’s visits from this time.
His father, Jonathan Barfield Sr., was the first black man to serve on the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners since the Wilmington Massacre and Coup d’état in 1898.
Barfield Sr. was also on the ballot in 1984.
“He and my dad both campaigning together in our community was very exciting, and I recognize the fact that he was with Dr. King during the Civil Rights March and the movement,” Barfield Jr. said. “That he was with Dr. King in that hotel room in Tennessee where he passed away. The fact that he was one of those stalwarts that were always on the battlegrounds of fighting for equal rights for all. He has a legacy that will definitely be here for a long time to come.”
Jesse Jackson died on February 17, 2026. He was 84.
WWAY’s archival footage is being digitized by UNCW Library.
To search through the archive, which includes full stories of Rev. Jesse Jackson’s visits to Wilmington, click here.
