Jesse Jackson
American Civil Rights Activist
Jesse Jackson is a civil rights leader, Baptist minister, and politician who ran for U.S. president twice. In 1965, he went to Selma, Alabama to march with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In the 1980’s, he became a leading national spokesman for African-Americans. After being appointed special envoy to Africa, he was awarded the 2000 Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Reverend Jackson began his activism as a student in the summer of 1960 seeking to desegregate the local public library in Greenville, and then as a leader in the sit-in movement. In 1965, he became a full-time organizer for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He was soon appointed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to direct the Operation Breadbasket program. In December of 1971, Reverend Jackson founded Operation PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity) in Chicago, IL. The goals of Operation PUSH were economic empowerment and expanding educational, business and employment opportunities for the disadvantaged and people of color. In 1991, Reverend Jesse Jackson was elected Senator of Washington, D.C., advocating for statehood for the nation’s capital, and advancing the “rainbow” agenda at the national and international levels. Since then, he has continued to promote voter registration and lead get-out-the-vote campaigns, believing that everyone should be encouraged to be a responsible, informed and active voter.
From 1992 to 2000, Reverend Jackson hosted Both Sides With Jesse Jackson on CNN. He continues to write a weekly column of analysis which is syndicated by the Chicago Tribune/Los Angles Times. He is the author of two books: Keep Hope Alive and Straight From the Heart. In 1996, Reverend Jackson co-authored the books Legal Lynching: Racism, Injustice, and the Death Penalty and It’s About The Money with his son, U.S. Representative Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. The U.S. Post Office put his likeness on a pictorial postal cancellation, only the second living person to receive such an honor. He has been on the Gallup List of the Ten Most Respected Americans for more than a dozen years. He has received the prestigious NAACP Spingarn Award in addition to honors from hundreds of grassroots, civic and community organizations from coast to coast.
Jackson was honored by The Common Good in Selma, Alabama in 2015: The Common Good Trip to Selma, Alabama.
Twitter: @RevJJackson
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