King Center Remembers Jesse Jackson’s “Indelible Contributions To Humanity”
By The King Center Photos: Wikimedia Commons The King Center joins the nation and the world in remembering Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., a towering figure in the struggle for racial and economic justice, equality, and human dignity. A protege of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Jackson offered his voice, his courage, and his unwavering commitment to the cause of freedom. Throughout six decades, his founding and leadership of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and two historic candidacies for President of the United States, Rev. Jackson was a powerful champion for civil and human rights and for economic parity. Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center, shared, “Rev. Jackson opened doors so Black people and other excluded communities could step into opportunity and dignity. With Rainbow PUSH Coalition, he cast a bold vision of an inclusive society—uniting people across race, class, and faith to build power together and expand the table of economic opportunity.” A skilled nonviolent negotiator and advocate, Rev. Jackson spoke out against apartheid in South Africa and worked with Randall Robinson to organize an apartheid divestment campaign. In a 1985 speech at Harvard University, he called on the university to divest from South Africa. In that speech, he said, “Apartheid is unethical, theologically. Apartheid is unhealthy psychologically. Apartheid is a threat to the human race. Apartheid is a lie. We must destroy racism before racism destroys us, our character and our moral authority.” In 1993, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, Founder of The King Center, presented Rev. Jackson with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize, the Center’s highest award for his myriad of nonviolent work for the eradication of what Dr. King’s called the “inseparable twins” of economic and racial injustice. While introducing him at the 1989 MLK Day Ecumenical Service, Mrs. King said about Rev. Jackson, “He is the leader for the homeless. He is the leader for the locked out. He is the leader for those who have no hope.” In the early 1960s, Rev. Jackson became active in the civil rights movement in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he was attending North Carolina A & T College. He joined the local Congress of Racial Equality and participated in sit-ins and demonstrations. This began an over half century commitment to the cause of humanity that included organizing students to respond to Dr. King’s call for supporters of the voting rights campaign in Selma; working on the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) staff; and serving as the Chicago coordinator, then national leader, of the King-led SCLC’s economic development and empowerment program, Operation Breadbasket. As we reflect on Rev. Jackson’s extraordinary life, The King Center honors his indelible contributions to humanity. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, his colleagues, and the countless individuals whose lives were transformed by his ministry and activism. May his memory inspire future generations to continue the work of building a just, humane, equitable and peaceful world. His voice may be stilled, but his legacy will still resonate in the ongoing struggle for freedom.
Black News 
By The King Center
Photos: Wikimedia Commons
The King Center joins the nation and the world in remembering Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., a towering figure in the struggle for racial and economic justice, equality, and human dignity.
A protege of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Jackson offered his voice, his courage, and his unwavering commitment to the cause of freedom. Throughout six decades, his founding and leadership of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and two historic candidacies for President of the United States, Rev. Jackson was a powerful champion for civil and human rights and for economic parity.
Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center, shared, “Rev. Jackson opened doors so Black people and other excluded communities could step into opportunity and dignity. With Rainbow PUSH Coalition, he cast a bold vision of an inclusive society—uniting people across race, class, and faith to build power together and expand the table of economic opportunity.”
A skilled nonviolent negotiator and advocate, Rev. Jackson spoke out against apartheid in South Africa and worked with Randall Robinson to organize an apartheid divestment campaign. In a 1985 speech at Harvard University, he called on the university to divest from South Africa. In that speech, he said, “Apartheid is unethical, theologically. Apartheid is unhealthy psychologically. Apartheid is a threat to the human race. Apartheid is a lie. We must destroy racism before racism destroys us, our character and our moral authority.”
In 1993, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, Founder of The King Center, presented Rev. Jackson with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize, the Center’s highest award for his myriad of nonviolent work for the eradication of what Dr. King’s called the “inseparable twins” of economic and racial injustice.
While introducing him at the 1989 MLK Day Ecumenical Service, Mrs. King said about Rev. Jackson, “He is the leader for the homeless. He is the leader for the locked out. He is the leader for those who have no hope.”
In the early 1960s, Rev. Jackson became active in the civil rights movement in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he was attending North Carolina A & T College. He joined the local Congress of Racial Equality and participated in sit-ins and demonstrations.
This began an over half century commitment to the cause of humanity that included organizing students to respond to Dr. King’s call for supporters of the voting rights campaign in Selma; working on the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) staff; and serving as the Chicago coordinator, then national leader, of the King-led SCLC’s economic development and empowerment program, Operation Breadbasket.
As we reflect on Rev. Jackson’s extraordinary life, The King Center honors his indelible contributions to humanity.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, his colleagues, and the countless individuals whose lives were transformed by his ministry and activism.
May his memory inspire future generations to continue the work of building a just, humane, equitable and peaceful world. His voice may be stilled, but his legacy will still resonate in the ongoing struggle for freedom.
