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CONTACT: Johanna Dickson

(212) 643-6816 ext. 311

Quail Ridge Book Event on C-SPAN BookTV:

https://www.c-span.org/video/?459780-1/loving-you-thinking-you-forget-pray

Jacqueline L. Jackson, the wife of Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. promised her son, former Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., that she would write him every day while he served his thirty-month sentence in federal prison (he was released on June 22, 2015). Her new book, Loving You, Thinking of You, Don't Forget to Pray: Letters to My Son in Prison, comprised of a selection of those letters, represents a powerful act of love—nurturing, reassuring, and ministering to her son’s heart, health, and mind during his darkest hour. It also joins the ongoing conversation about our broken criminal justice system and offers a blueprint for families across the country to support loved ones who are incarcerated or isolated or whose well-being is otherwise threatened.

Frank, anecdotal, infused with faith, and sometimes humorous, Mrs. Jackson’s letters sustained her son’s essential contact with home while he was in prison. They offer intimate details of the daily life of their family, friends, and community, along with glimpses of such figures from the world and national stage as Nelson Mandela, Winnie Mandela, and Mayor Marion Barry. They touch eloquently on issues of social justice, politics, and history, as when Mrs. Jackson recalls growing up in Jim Crow Florida or informs her son about the events in Ferguson or shootings in Chicago., They also reflect the qualities, instilled by her own mother, that made her a role model for much of her life.

Ultimately, this collection is Mrs. Jackson’s contribution to healing during a time when our prisons are full and many in minority communities are suffering. While we wait on reform and seek corrective actions, she provides the roadmap for ensuring that anyone incarcerated understands that prison is where they are, not who they are, and for helping them sustain the courage to Keep Hope Alive! The book includes an introduction and afterword by Congressman Jackson.

About the Author

Jacqueline L. Jackson is the wife of Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. and the mother of five children. Mrs. Jackson is a committed public servant through the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago, a supporter of equality for women, and an advocate for strong family bonds. She met her husband at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and they have been married for fifty-five years. Together they continue to push for equality, justice, and economic empowerment to ensure humanity grows across all color lines. Mrs. Jackson hosts a woman's luncheon at the annual Rainbow PUSH Coalition conference in Chicago, where she invites speakers to address women's issues of the day. She attended the March on Washington for the #metoo movement and continues to influence thought leaders in her community. Her wit, encouragement, and beautiful spirit help to nurture and build community relationships. This is her first book.

Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. served eight terms in the US House of Representatives, from 1995 to his resignation in 2012, and was reelected for a ninth term but declined to serve. He has been secretary of the Democratic National Committee’s Black Caucus, national field director of the National Rainbow Coalition, and a member Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. Born in Greenville, South Carolina, he attended college at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University in Greensboro, NC, and has advance degrees from Chicago Theological Seminary and the University of Illinois College of Law in Chicago, IL. He lives in Chicago.

Loving You, Thinking of You, Don't Forget to Pray: Letters to My Son in Prison

by Jacqueline L. Jackson

Introduction by Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.

Arcade Publishing

$24.99 hardcover

ISBN: 9781948924320

To request a review copy or to arrange an interview with the author, please contact:

Johanna Dickson / (212) 643-6816 x 311 / jdickson@skyhorsepublishing.com