"He gave me a glimpse of what is possible, and he taught me how to say I am somebody. He broadened the lane of what's politically possible for Black Americans and other people of color, forcing the Democratic Party to be more inclusive."
"While he saw our power, the adversaries of progress and racial justice also saw our power. We are witnessing right now the kind of attack on voting rights that really does hearken back to the darkest days of the civil rights struggle."
"What was actually tougher than getting those rights on paper was the actual implementation of those rights. Jackson was a bridge figure in the movement who fought to see that legislative gains like the Voting Rights Act were enforced so that Black citizens would have a say in government."
Rev. Jesse Jackson, the late civil rights leader, passed away at age 84, with public tributes beginning in his hometown of Chicago before memorial events in Washington, D.C. and South Carolina. Jackson's presidential campaigns in the 1980s fundamentally reshaped Black political power in America and forced the Democratic Party toward greater inclusivity. His influence extended to current Black leaders, including Rev. Raphael Warnock, one of five Black U.S. senators, who credits Jackson with demonstrating political possibilities and teaching self-empowerment. Jackson's legacy emphasized not only securing voting rights legislation but ensuring their actual implementation, a challenge that remains relevant today as voting rights face renewed threats.
Read at www.npr.org
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]