"More than 40 years ago, United States civil rights leader Jesse Jackson called on the Democratic Party to open its doors and welcome the desperate, the damned, the disinherited, the disrespected and the despised. This included Arab Americans and Palestinian rights supporters, who have suffered from decades of racism, demonisation and marginalisation. list of 3 itemsend of list Advocates in those communities say that Jackson, who died on Tuesday at the age of 84, helped elevate their voices over his decades-long career."
"I don't think there's a way to tell the Arab Americans' political empowerment story without understanding the path that Reverend Jackson created for us, said Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute (AAI). In 1984, Jackson appointed Arab American activist James Zogby as one of his deputy campaign managers as he mounted a bid for the presidency. Zogby would later found the AAI."
Jesse Jackson urged the Democratic Party to open its doors to the desperate, damned, disinherited, disrespected and despised, explicitly including Arab Americans and Palestinian rights supporters. Arab Americans and Palestinian advocates experienced racism, demonisation and marginalisation, and Jackson worked to elevate their voices across his decades-long career. He appointed James Zogby as a deputy campaign manager in 1984; Zogby later founded the Arab American Institute. Jackson's campaigns actively courted Arab Americans and amplified calls for Palestinian self-determination when US politics predominantly supported Israel. He resisted pressure to disassociate from Arab Americans who prioritised Palestine and helped push Palestinian statehood into national Democratic discourse.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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