Gathering in Gaston Hall to celebrate the legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson in an emotional event Monday, academics, activists and students looked back on Jackson’s contributions to American society.

The event, organized by professor Michael Eric Dyson to coincide with Jackson’s 70th birthday, featured prominent speakers and a panel discussion before Jackson himself took the stage.

Describing him as “one of the most extraordinary figures in American history,” Dyson emphasized Jackson’s role in shaking up politics.

“Without Jesse Jackson, there would be no Barack Obama,” he said.

Jackson, who spoke last, said that he had sought to continue the legacy of previous civil rights leaders in his own work.

“I have never, in some way or another, stopped trying to serve,” he said.

In a speech peppered with both biblical references and barbs aimed at politicians, Rev. Al Sharpton said that Jackson’s skill in both politics and activism played a critical part in protecting the gains of the civil rights movement after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

“You had to play the Beltway and the march route,” Sharpton said.

Like Dyson, Sharpton pointed to the importance of Jackson’s 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns, along with his role in organizing for several mayoral races during the ’80s.

“All of these were steps toward empowerment,” he said.

According to Sharpton, Jackson’s role is often under-recognized today. Drawing parallels between Jackson and King, he told the story of a mayoral election in which King led voter registration drives but didn’t receive any recognition for his role.

“The people you pull through don’t invite you to the party,” he said, to applause from the audience.

Former Georgetown men’s basketball Head Coach John Thompson Jr., and his son, current coach John Thompson III, made an appearance at the celebration, which also featured a panel of activists and academics moderated by Rev. Marcia Dyson, Michael Eric Dyson’s wife.

One of the panelists, James Peterson, director of African studies and a professor of English at Lehigh University, was unable to hold back tears when he expressed his gratitude to Jackson. Dyson herself also began to cry as she concluded the panel discussion.

The last speaker to take the stage before Jackson was Rev. Frederick J. Haynes III, who delivered what he called a thank you note to Jackson in the form of a thundering, lyrical sermon. He thanked Jackson for serving as an inspiration and for fighting to address systemic issues.

“Rev. Jesse Jackson, you’ve taught us that it’s a structural issue,” he said.

Tyler Bilbo (COL ’12) said Haynes’ talk was his favorite part of the celebration.

“He delivered a great sermon,” Bilbo said.

Throughout the event, speakers emphasized the breadth of issues that Jackson has become involved in. While some of his projects have seen more success than others, Jackson and panelists said his continued activism raises issues that others have been unwilling to bring to the public’s attention.

“I am really a seed-thrower. Some hit the rock, and some hit the air and some germinate,” he said.

Closing his talk, Jackson referenced the ongoing Occupy movements as continuing a legacy of engagement.

“Dr. King’s last act was to Occupy the mall,” he said, adding that he thinks students in particular should be troubled by rising student debt. “Somebody’s got to say something, it seems to me.”