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Long Island pays tribute to Jesse Jackson U. S . Re p. L a u r a G i l l e n described Jackson as one of the most consequential civil rights Several Long Island officials leaders in the nation’s history, paid tribute to the Rev. Jesse adding that he dedicated his Jackson, the longtime civil life to working toward a more rights leader whose advocacy free and just society. “His legacy fightfor a broad coalition of poor and ing for the fundamarginalized Amermental rights of icans shaped Black Americans national politics for and to ‘Keep Hope decades after the Alive’ will never be Rev. Martin Luther lost,” Gillen wrote. King Jr.’s death. Peter King, who Jackson’s death represented South was confirmed by Shore communities his family in a writsuch as Wantagh ten statement last and Seaford in ConT u e s d a y. T h e y gress from 1993 to wrote that the 2021, praised Jack84-year-old “died son as a force of peacefully,” but did nature and a good not list a specific man. cause of death. “Despite our “His unwavering lAURA GillEN political differences commitment to jus- U.S. Representative I had the opportunitice, equality, and ty to meet with Rev. human rights Jackson a number helped shape a global move- of times,” King, a Seaford resiment for freedom and dignity,” dent, wrote in a Feb. 17 Facethe Feb. 17 statement read. “He book post. “I always found him elevated the voices of the voice- friendly, extremely intelligent less — from his presidential and focused.” campaigns in the 1980s to mobiGov. Kathy Hochul described lizing millions to register to Jackson’s life as defined by vote — leaving an indelible courage and conviction. mark on history.” COntInuED On PAgE 19
By lUKE FEENEY
lfeeney@liherald.com
Courtesy Seaford School District
On P.S. I Love You Day, Feb. 13, Seaford Manor Elementary School students showed off their notes listing acts of kindness, joined by social worker Jennifer DiMieri, far left, and Assistant Principal Rich Schwartz.
Students in three school districts celebrate ‘P.S. I Love You Day’ By lUKE FEENEY lfeeney@liherald.com
Students headed into February vacation wrapped in purple — and with a shared message of support. Across the Wantagh, Seaford and Levittown school districts, purple shirts, handwritten notes and student-led initiatives marked P.S. I Love You Day on Feb. 13 — a growing movement to normalize conversations about mental health. P.S. I Love You Day, held on the second Friday of February, was created by West Islip student Brooke DiPalma in 2011, to honor her father, a retired New York City police officer, who took his own life when Brooke was 14. At Wantagh High School, members of Morgan’s Message, a club focused on mental well-being, set up in the lobby before the first bell rang, inviting classmates to sign a banner and talk. Morgan’s Message is a nonprofit organi-
zation founded in the memory of Duke lacrosse player Morgan Rodgers, who died by suicide in July 2019. With over 1,900 chapters in high schools across the country, the organizations goal is to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental heath. Though cliques remain part of high school life, adviser Valerie Gompers said the social barriers softened. “Just talking to them and saying, ‘Oh, how was your day today?’” Gompers said. “It was a whole vibe, and everything about how they wanted everyone to feel included and to be a part of it.” This year’s theme at Wantagh was “Be the Light.” Students wrote encouraging messages on purple hearts, created kindness chains and launched a “Pin for a Purpose” initiative, in which clothespins with uplifting notes were passed from student to student. “They didn’t want to let go of those pins,” Gompers added. Around 50 club members decorated the COntInuED On PAgE 10
H
is legacy fighting for the fundamental rights of Black Americans and to ‘Keep Hope Alive’ will never be lost.