Congressman Jonathan L. Jackson pays tribute to the Honorable Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman

This week, Congressman Jonathan L. Jackson honored the Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman.

“My dear friends, we have gathered in this sacred hour not to weep without hope, but to give thanks—profound thanks—for a life that rose like a song from the rough soil of history. A life shaped by struggle, sustained by faith, and sanctified by service. We are here to remember, with grateful hearts, the Honorable Secretary Alexis Herman.

She was a builder of bridges. She laid down tracks not of steel, but of freedom. She walked by her dear friend and my father, Reverend Jesse Jackson, as he lifted high a dream that many thought impossible—that an African American could aspire to be the president of this land. Children of slaves and those of slaveholders might move together toward a more perfect union. Alexis Herman helped hammer the nails and tie the rails.

She understood something deep and necessary: that we could not simply resist the present—we had to build a future together. She walked in boardrooms and marched in communities. She spoke the language of labor and of liberation. She understood that work is sacred, that dignity is not reserved for the wealthy, and that policy must also have a conscience.

So let us not say goodbye, but say fair you well. Fair you well, Secretary Herman. You ran your race. You kept the faith. You believed in us before we believed in ourselves.”