"Our flag is red, white, and blue, but our nation is a rainbow-red, yellow, brown, black and white-and we're all precious in God's sight. America is not like a blanket-one piece of unbroken cloth, the same color, the same texture. The same size. America is more like a quilt: many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven and held together by a common thread."
"For decades, the man was simply everywhere: always fighting for justice for the poor, the marginalized, the disenfranchised. While his work for civil rights and racial justice is well-known, he was also an early and important champion for the LGBTQ+ community, speaking at the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987, and championing equal legal protection for LGBTQ+ people."
"In 1993, he was arrested with members of ACT UP, protesting the U.S. government's detention of Haitian refugees at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, who had tested positive for HIV. He continued to work with AIDS activists, advocating for distribution of generic HIV medications in South Africa and other developing countries."
Reverend Jesse Jackson's 1984 Democratic Convention speech introduced the Rainbow Coalition concept, envisioning America as a diverse quilt of many colors and textures united by common threads. His decades-long activism extended across multiple social justice movements beyond civil rights. Jackson was an early and vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, speaking at the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. He demonstrated exceptional courage during the AIDS crisis, standing with affected communities when political leaders remained silent. In 1993, he was arrested protesting the detention of HIV-positive Haitian refugees at Guantanamo Bay. Jackson visited AIDS patients, supported medication distribution in developing nations, and engaged with the AIDS Memorial Quilt, embodying compassionate activism during a stigmatized era.
#rainbow-coalition #social-justice-activism #lgbtq-rights #aids-crisis-response #civil-rights-leadership
Read at San Francisco Bay Times
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