The Rev. Jesse Jackson: Remembering the civil rights chief’s life and legacy
The Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson, the towering civil rights chief whose ethical imaginative and prescient and fiery oratory reshaped the Democratic Party and America, died on February 17 on the age of 84.
Jackson was what one pundit known as “an American original.” He was born to an unwed teenage mother in Greenville, South Carolina, in the course of the Jim Crow period however rose to grow to be a civil rights icon and a groundbreaking politician who mounted two electrifying runs for the presidency within the Nineteen Eighties.
Jackson’s twin bids for the Democratic presidential nomination impressed Black America and surprised political observers who marveled at his ability to draw White voters. He was a Black crossover determine lengthy earlier than Barack Obama hit the nationwide stage.
“His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity,” learn a press release from his nonprofit social justice group, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. “A tireless change agent, he elevated the voices of the voiceless – from his Presidential campaigns in the 1980s to mobilizing millions to register to vote – leaving an indelible mark on history.”
Read extra about Jackson’s life here.