'Sunday Morning' looks back on the life of the Baptist minister, civil rights leader and social justice activist, whose trailblazing presidential campaigns, built on a message of economic support and faith-based compassion, fostered his so-called 'Rainbow Coalition.
In 1988, the Reverend Jesse Jackson ended his outsider campaign for president with a stirring speech for the history books: 'We must never surrender. America will get better and better. Keep hope alive! Keep hope alive! Keep hope alive!'In a decade when America was turning against big government, Jackson ran on a message of economic support and faith-based compassion for the working class and poor of all backgrounds.
He called it his 'Rainbow Coalition.' Although Jackson fell short of the Democratic nomination that year, and in an earlier race in 1984, his two campaigns produced a surge of new voter registration, and received more than 10 million primary votes.Those then-record numbers for a Black candidate paved the way for the election 20 years later of Barack Obama, whose victory speech Jackson watched in tears. And since then, Jackson's grassroots playbook has been adapted by political insurgents from Bernie Sanders to Donald Trump. Born in 1941 to an unwed teenage mother in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson turned heads early with his fierce drive and athletic ability. Diving into civil rights work, he became one of the youngest aides to Martin Luther King Jr., and he was by King's side in Memphis the week he was assassinated.From his base in Chicago, Jackson extended King's movement to the business world, organizing consumer boycotts and pushing for more Blacks on corporate boards. He became a player on the world stage, too, with missions to free Americans taken prisoner in foreign war zones.But Jackson will also be remembered for private failings that left him repeatedly seeking public forgiveness. He was suspected of exaggerating a story about cradling Dr. King's head in his hands. He was caught using a crude slur for Jews, and carrying on an extramarital affair that produced an out-of-wedlock child. By the time Jackson was honored at the 2024 Democratic Convention, his once-thundering voice was silenced by an incurable neurological disorder.But in the age of social media, reminders live on of what made Jesse Jackson such an American original – like the time he went on 'Sesame Street' to teach the kids his favorite poem, 'I am Somebody': I am Somebody! I am Somebody! I may be poor, But I am Somebody. I may be young, But I am Somebody. I may be on welfare, But I am Somebody. I may be small, But I am Somebody. I may have made mistakes, But I am Somebody. My clothes are different, My face is different, My hair is different, But I am Somebody. I am Black, Brown,White.I speak a different languageBut I must be respected,Protected,Never rejected.I am God's child!I am Somebody! Story produced by Liza Monasebian. Editor: Emanuele Secci.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Rev. Al Sharpton hosting tribute service for Rev. Jesse JacksonThe Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN), will host a special tribute to the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Read more »
House Speaker Johnson denies request for Rev. Jesse Jackson to lie in honor in US CapitolThe late Rev. Jesse Jackson will not lie in honor in the United States Capitol Rotunda after a request for the commemoration was denied.
Read more »
Speaker denies request for Rev. Jesse Jackson to lie in honor at Capitol, citing precedentHouse Speaker Mike Johnson’s office has denied a request to have the late Rev. Jesse Jackson lie in honor in the United States Capitol Rotunda due to precedents that such honors are usually only designated for presidents.
Read more »
Speaker Mike Johnson denies request for the Rev. Jesse Jackson to lie in honor in CapitolScott Wong is a senior congressional reporter for NBC News.
Read more »
Speaker denies request for Rev. Jesse Jackson to lie in honor at Capitol, citing precedentHouse Speaker Mike Johnson’s office has denied a request to have the late Rev. Jesse Jackson lie in honor in the United States Capitol Rotunda due to precedents that such honors are usually only designated for presidents.
Read more »
Rev. Al Sharpton hosts tribute service for Rev. Jesse JacksonThe Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN), will host a special tribute to the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Read more »