Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. lifts up the next generation

The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. on July 14 at a reunion of campaign staffers from his 1984 and 1988 presidential bids. Jackson, 81, announced last week that he would step down as president of Rainbow PUSH Coalition, an organization that he founded and is based on the South Side. (Owen Ziliak/Sun-Times)

It's not easy passing the baton, especially when your work is your calling.

So the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.'s announcement that he is stepping down as the president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition doesn't come as a shock given his medical condition, yet it is a reminder that the role of a leader is to lift the next generation.