RICHARD FOWLER: I ran into Jesse Jackson —and into history: the man who shaped a nation

I once ran into Rev. Jesse Jackson. Literally.

It was either 2003 or 2004 at the NAACP Fort Lauderdale Freedom Fund Dinner. I was a high school student and a member of the NAACP Youth Council, running late — moving too fast across the parking lot, out of breath and worried about missing the start.

Then I collided with him.

I looked up, and there he was: the Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson Sr.

REV JESSE JACKSON, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER AND RAINBOW PUSH FOUNDER, DIES AT 84

When...