“We make mistakes, and we will continue to make mistakes. The beauty of that is that we get to fix it, you know. But how we atone for that, how we move forward is what matters.”  - Shawnee Turner 

In this episode of The Upstander Ripple Effect, hosts Jackie Congedo and Kevin Aldridge welcome Shawnee Turner, Vice President of Education and Interpretation at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, to talk about the end of February and the beginning of March - where Black History Month meets Women’s History Month.  

They discuss the legacy of civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson, who passed away in February 2026, and the realities of building coalitions across communities, and why it matters to look honestly at both the triumphs and the tensions in our shared history. 

Drawing on her work in museum education, Turner shares how expanding historical narratives—from well-known figures like Harriet Tubman to lesser-known heroes like Ellen Craft—can help us better understand justice, resilience, and the everyday acts of courage that move society forward. 

This episode is part of the Cynthia & Harold Guttman Center for Storytelling. Subscribe here https://www.youtube.com/@holocaustandhumanity 

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Episode Resources 

Byron McCauley op-ed on Rev. Jesse Jackson 

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2026/02/17/rev-jesse-jackson-death-legacy-civil-rights-opinion-column/88717590007/  

Freedom Center statement on Rev. Jesse Jackson’s death 

https://freedomcenter.org/voice/press_release/statement-rev-jesse-jackson/   

Press coverage of Rev. Jackson’s relationship with Jewish communities over the years 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/09/27/2-jews-quit-jacksons-group/3da46535-3f5b-4f84-96ff-7fe90843e53c/  

https://www.jta.org/2026/02/17/obituaries/jesse-jackson-civil-rights-leader-whose-1984-comments-undercut-jewish-relations-dies-at-84  

https://www.auschwitz.org/en/museum/news/roma-and-sinti-genocide-remembrance-day,1376.html  

Rev. Jackson’s legacy of including women in politics 

https://19thnews.org/2026/02/jesse-jackson-opened-doors-black-women-politics  

Perspective on women’s history being included at the Smithsonian 

https://thepolitic.org/the-politics-of-representation-the-fight-for-the-smithsonian-womens-history-museum/   

Visit the Freedom Center 

https://freedomcenter.org/  

Visit the Holocaust & Humanity Center https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/ 

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