"He became the youngest of Dr. Martin Luther King's SCLC leadership group, organizing Operation Breadbasket that mobilized African Americans to apply economic pressure on corporations to demand that they stop excluding minorities from jobs, contracts, and boards. After King's tragic assassination, he rapidly rose to be a leading voice of the civil rights movement as the head of People United to Save Humanity (PUSH), which he founded in Chicago."
"Directly challenging the right-wing reaction that brought Ronald Reagan to the White House in 1980, Jackson's 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns electrified the country, registered millions of voters and energized millions more, fulfilling the promise of the Voting Rights Act, Dr. King's crowning achievement. In 1984, he registered 2 million new voters and inspired millions more to vote, contributing directly to Democrats' taking back the Senate in 1986."
Jesse Jackson rose from poverty in Jim Crow Greenville, South Carolina, born to a single teenage mother, to become a globally recognized civil rights and political leader over six decades. He joined Dr. Martin Luther King's SCLC leadership, organized Operation Breadbasket to pressure corporations to stop excluding minorities, and after King's assassination founded People United to Save Humanity (PUSH) in Chicago. His 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns registered millions of voters, energized new electoral participation, and challenged the right-wing reaction exemplified by Ronald Reagan. In 1988 he won over seven million votes and strong primary finishes, and his campaigns opened doors to historic African American municipal and state elections.
Read at The Nation
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