Jesse Jackson, Sr., Civil Rights Activist
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. (born October 8, 1941) is an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. While attending A&T he became active in local civil rights protests against segregated libraries, theaters and restaurants. He graduated with a in sociology in 1964, then attended the Chicago Theological Seminary on a scholarship. He dropped out in 1966, three classes short of earning his master's degree, to focus full-time on the civil rights movement. In 1965, Jackson participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches organized by James Bevel, King and other civil rights leaders in Alabama. Impressed by Jackson's drive and organizational abilities, King soon began giving Jackson a role in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Jackson is the founder of the organizations that merged to form Rainbow/PUSH. People United to Save Humanity (Operation PUSH) began operations in 1971. Jackson later changed the name to People United to Serve Humanity. At its inception, Jackson planned to orient Operation PUSH toward politics and to pressure politicians to work to improve economic opportunities for blacks and poor people of all races. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as a shadow Senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. Jackson has commended Obama's 2012 decision to support gay marriage and has compared the fight for same-sex marriage to fight against slavery and the anti-miscegenation laws that once prevented interracial marriage. Photographed by Warren K. Leffler July 1, 1983.
Size: 3146px × 4500px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -, ., 1, 1983, 1st, 20th, activist, african-american, america, american, baptist, black, burns, bw, century, civil, clergyman, famous, figure, government, historic, historical, history, important, jackson, jesse, jessie, july, leader, leffler, louis, male, man, men, minister, movement, notable, people, person, personalities, personality, photo, photograph, political, politician, politics, religion, religious, reverend, rights, sr, sr., states, united, usa, warren
