What is your defining memory of the Rev. Jesse Jackson? Here's what you told us.

We asked readers for their defining memories of the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Here's what you told us, lightly edited for clarity:

"My special memory of Jesse Jackson happened Super Tuesday — Feb. 5, 2008. I was an Obama volunteer attending the party and broadcast of Barack Obama's speech at the Hyatt. Jesse Jackson was in the bleachers behind me doing live shots with reporters. After the cameras were locked on Barack, I noticed Jesse alone and holding an Obama sign. His mind and heart were elsewhere — perhaps pondering what 'could have been' for himself or one of his children. It was the tenderest moment of a politician, activist, human that I've seen up close and personal."
— Doreen Rice

"My husband and his friends frequented the Division Street Baths in the '70s thru the '90s. It was always a special occasion when 'The Reverend' and his entourage came into the steam room. Mr Jackson, like any good politician, would shake hands and introduce himself to everyone sitting on the tiled tiers. His charisma was contagious."
— Sandy Doyle

"I had the honor to know and do some work with him, appearing on his radio show ... and assisting his organizations where I could. I have spent most of my life defending people facing the death penalty, work which Rev. Jackson supported. My memory is not just [his] amazing work. ... It's of him sitting quietly with me at a table at the Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers dinner honoring his son, former Congressman Jackson. It's of him taking the time to speak with my then-teenage son, of his kind inquiries regarding my late husband's health, and his concern for humanity in general."
— Andrea Lyon

"As a Northwestern University undergraduate, I marched with Jesse Jackson in the streets of Chicago for civil rights. In 1968, we were tear-gassed by Richard J. Daley's cops — illegally. I also marched with him in anti-Vietnam War marches."
— Harvey J. Graff

"We went to a campaign rally in Iowa in 1988 and shook hands with Rev. Jackson. I will always remember how big his hands were! He had an amazing ability to connect to people, always able to find common ground with others."
— Margaret Riehl