Before becoming Jon Jackson, there was a man named Jamal Tesfaye, who was of African American descent. He held a strong grudge against the government and strongly disagreed with children witnessing their parents' deaths. This took place during World War II in 1934.
During the turmoil of World War II in 1934, Jamal Tesfaye and his father, Malusi Tesfaye, fought a daily struggle for survival. They faced hunger and despair, often pleading with government officials just to secure the bare necessities of life.
During one encounter with the mayor, Joseph Stalin, he showed no sympathy for their struggles. Instead of offering help, Mayor Joseph callously rejected their pleas, hurling insults and derogatory remarks at them.
"Please, just a bit of food," Jamal's father begged, his voice filled with desperation as they faced Mayor Joseph.
But the mayor's response was heartless and cruel. "Get lost, beggars," he spat, his tone filled with disgust. "Why are worthless beggars like you still alive in this war?"
Malusi clenched his fists, rage burning in his eyes as he confronted the mayor's callousness. "How dare you speak to us like that!" he shot back, his voice trembling with anger. "We're not beggars, we're citizens! And we deserve help just like everyone else!" His words were a defiant challenge to the mayor's indifference, a refusal to be dismissed as insignificant in the face of their suffering.
Then suddenly, a soldier from the government appeared, his uniform marking him as an agent of authority. He approached Jon and his father with a menacing glare, his expression devoid of empathy. "You're causing trouble, eh?" he snarled, his voice dripping with disdain. "Well, we don't tolerate troublemakers around here." His hand drifted towards his weapon, a silent threat hanging in the air.
Then Driven by power and cruelty, aimed his weapon at Malusi and fired without a second thought.
The sound of the gunshot pierced through the air, breaking through the turmoil of the war-torn streets. Jamal's world crumbled in that moment as he stood frozen, horror gripping his heart, watching his father collapse to the ground. It was a scene that tore at his very being, a stark reminder of the brutality inflicted by the very government meant to safeguard its people.
As Jamal's father fell to the ground, his life extinguished by the bullet, he managed to utter one final word in their native African language, "Bëëqatu!" It meant (run) a desperate plea for Jamal to escape the imminent danger.But Jamal stood completely still, shocked and unable to move, as the chaos of the situation engulfed him.
Then a soldier approached with a smug smirk, his smirk filled with cruel satisfaction. "You kid," he sneered, pointing a gun in Jamal's direction, "you better run kid." His words dripped with malice, a chilling reminder of the mercilessness of those who claimed to uphold the law in this war-torn world.
Feeling a surge of panic and adrenaline, Jamal with tears streaming down his face, he turned and ran as fast as his legs could carry him.
As Jamal fled, the mayor's voice cut through the chaos with chilling indifference. "Don't shoot him," he commanded, his tone cold and calculating. "Let him run. He'll die anyway." His words hung heavy in the air, a stark reminder of the brutality of war and the indifference of those in authority.
"Besides," the mayor added uncaringly, "we're in a war zone. Beggars like them die every day." His cold statement underscored the brutal truth of their reality, where the lives of the less fortunate were considered insignificant in the face of greater conflicts.
That day marked the transformation of Jamal Tesfaye into Jon Jackson, a man driven by a burning desire for revenge against the corrupt government that had robbed him of his father and his innocence.
He picked the name Jon Jackson because he didn't want his real name linked to bloodshed. His original name held innocence, given to him by his family, and he didn't want it tied to vengeance and brutality. Choosing an American name, he believed it would give him the anonymity and cover he needed to exact his revenge. Moreover, in a world engulfed by war, he believed an American name would blend in better in a world consumed by war, where conflict and turmoil were all too common.