"I met Jesse Jackson, who died Tuesday at 84, in 1988 when I worked on Capitol Hill. From what I recall, Jackson held a rally or gave a speech on the steps of the Capitol while he was running for president. I was lucky enough to be near the front, and I shook his hand. I remember him being tall, with a very firm grip."
"This was all part of his famous "Rainbow Coalition," where he included LGBTQ+ people alongside BIPOC communities, women, and others, advocating for their inclusion in the Democratic Party and the broader fight for equality. I remember once having a conversation about Jackson and remarking that it wasn't ironic that our Pride flag and his coalition shared a rainbow. Jackson was all about inclusion and always about including us."
I met Jesse Jackson in 1988 on Capitol Hill and remember him as tall with a very firm grip. I followed his career closely, reading about him and tracking his public statements. When he ran for president in 1984, he made LGBTQ+ rights a central part of his platform and became the first major candidate to endorse those rights. He formed a Rainbow Coalition that included LGBTQ+ people, BIPOC communities, women and others, advocating for inclusion in the Democratic Party. His support stood out during the 1980s AIDS crisis and contrasted with the Moral Majority's weaponizing of scripture against the community.
Read at Advocate.com
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