"Reverend Jesse Jackson, the civil- and human-rights trailblazer who died on 17 February, imagined a version of America where the marginalized became the center. His was a much more progressive vision than what the Democratic party thought possible after the civil rights movement, and through Jackson's National Rainbow Coalition launched after his first presidential campaign in 1984 he laid the groundwork for a new era."
"This Rainbow Coalition is the embodiment of a national politics that is radically inclusive, Charles McKinney, a professor of history at Rhodes Collegesaid. He was like: I've got something for the middle class, I've got something for the elite, and I also have something for working-class folks. To me, that was the embodiment of his politics. Considered capacious and transgressive just four decades ago, said McKinney, Jackson's vision for the US has been adopted and perpetuated by contemporary politicians,"
Reverend Jesse Jackson pursued a radically inclusive vision that placed marginalized communities at the center of national politics. His organizing began with Greensboro sit-ins and work under Martin Luther King Jr., including leadership of Operation Breadbasket in Chicago aimed at improving economic conditions. Jackson transformed Operation Breadbasket into Operation PUSH and later launched the National Rainbow Coalition after his 1984 presidential campaign to unite middle-class, elite, and working-class constituencies. His emphasis on economics, jobs, boycotts, and broad coalition-building influenced subsequent progressive leaders and left a lasting impact on Democratic Party strategy and priorities.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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