Jesse Jackson was direct connection to great civil rights era', says Diane Abbott

"His message is absolutely relevant today, when we are seeing a resurgence of racism in a way that we hoped had been banished, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, the MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Afrikan Reparations, said in tribute to the civil rights leader, whose death, at the age of 84 was announced on Tuesday."

"That visit marked the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery the industry that had fuelled the city's wealth, while scarring the ancestors of so many of its Black residents. Jackson's visit to Manchester part of a nine-city Equanomics tour that also stopped in Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Nottingham and Sheffield reflected how, for Jackson, economic, racial and social justice were inseparable, and how African descendant communities in the UK and America were linked by the shared experience of Black minority status in the west."

Jesse Jackson remained a prominent bridge from the civil rights era to contemporary struggles, campaigning in the UK against institutional racism and inequalities across economic, health and criminal justice systems. UK politicians noted his continued relevance amid a resurgence of racism and emphasised his commitment to pan-African tradition and international solidarity. His 2007 Manchester appearance, part of a nine-city Equanomics tour, marked the bicentenary of abolition and linked the city’s wealth to slavery while recognising its harms to Black ancestors. Jackson argued that economic, racial and social justice are inseparable and highlighted shared experiences of Black communities in the UK and America.

Read at www.theguardian.com