Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson | |
---|---|
United States Shadow Senator from the District of Columbia | |
In office January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1997 | |
Preceded by | Seat established |
Succeeded by | Paul Strauss |
Personal details | |
Born | Jesse Louis Burns October 8, 1941 Greenville, South Carolina, U.S. |
Died | November 29, 2024 | (aged 83)
Political party | Democratic Party |
Spouse(s) |
Jacqueline Brown (m. 1962) |
Children | Santita Jesse Jonathan Yusef DuBois Jacqueline Lavinia Ashley Laverne (with Karin Stanford) |
Residence | Washington, D.C. Chicago, Illinois |
Alma mater | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Chicago Theological Seminary |
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. (October 8, 1941 – November 29, 2024) was an American church minister, activist and politician.[1] Jackson was born Jesse Louis Burns, in Greenville, South Carolina.[2] His mother, Helen Burns, was 16 years old at the time he was born.[2] She never married his father, Noah Louis Robinson.[2] When Jackson was two, his mother married Charles Jackson. Jesse was raised by his grandmother Matilda until he was 13. In 1957, he returned home when his step-father adopted him.[2]
Early life and civil rights
[change | change source]After he graduated from high school, Jackson had an offer to play professional baseball from the Chicago White Sox.[3] He also received a scholarship to play college football at the University of Illinois, which he accepted.[3] He later transferred to North Carolina A&T.[3] He was one of Martin Luther King Jr.'s main organizers in Chicago for the Southern Christian Leadership Conferences. After King was shot, Jackson formed several civil rights organizations of his own. Two of these were Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition. Jackson was also active in civil rights movements outside the United States. He also served as a Baptist minister.
Presidential runs
[change | change source]In May 1983, Jackson became the first African-American man since Reconstruction to address a joint session of the Alabama Legislature, where he said it was "about time we forgot about black and white and started talking about employed and unemployed".[4] Art Harris saw Jackson as "testing the waters for a black presidential candidacy down South".[4] Jackson's address to the National Congress of American Indians and touring of southern Texas to test his appeal among Hispanics made people think that he would run for president.[5]
Jackson ran for President in 1984 and 1988, coming in second in the 1988 Democratic party. Both times, he ran on a very liberal platform that wanted people of all races to co-operate, as well as more emphasis on education, urban issues and infrastructure. He wanted to be chosen as the Democrat's Vice-Presidential nominee, but Lloyd Bentsen was chosen instead. From 1991 to 1997, he was a shadow senator from the District of Columbia.[6] People thought Jackson might run against Bill Clinton in the 1996 primaries, but he did not.
In 2016, during the 2016 United States presidential election he endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.[7] In 2020, during the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, he endorsed Bernie Sanders to be the democratic nominee.[8]
Controversy
[change | change source]He is known for saying some things that are controversial. In 1984, in an interview with Washington Post reporter Milton Coleman, he referred to Jews as "Hymies" and New York City as "Hymietown".[9] He also said that Barack Obama was "acting like he's white"[10] and "talking down to black people."[11]
Personal life
[change | change source]Jackson's eldest son, Jesse Jackson Jr., is a former congressman from Illinois. His other son, Jonathan Jackson, is a congressman from Illinois as well.
In November 2017, Jackson was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.[12]
In August 2021, Jackson and his wife were hospitalized at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, with COVID-19.[13]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Jesse Jackson Biography". Bio/A&E Television Networks, LLC. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Jesse Jackson". History/A&E Television Networks, LLC. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Jesse Jackson Fast Facts". CNN. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Jesse Jackson Preaches a New Politics to the Alabama Legislature". Washington Post. May 25, 1983.
- ↑ "JESSE JACKSON SEEKS WIDER AUDIENCE". The New York Times. October 17, 1983.
- ↑ "What does DC's 'shadow delegation' to Congress actually do?". wusa9.com. 2 November 2018. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
- ↑ Scott, Eugene (June 11, 2016). "Jesse Jackson endorses Hillary Clinton". CNN. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- ↑ Annie Grayer; Devan Cole (8 March 2020). "Jesse Jackson endorses Bernie Sanders for president". CNN. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
- ↑ Sabato, Larry (1988). "Jesse Jackson's 'Hymietown' Remark – 1984". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
- ↑ "Jesse Jackson: Obama needs to bring more attention to Jena 6 - CNN.com". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
- ↑ "Jackson apologizes for 'crude' Obama remarks - CNN.com". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
- ↑ "Jesse Jackson diagnosed with Parkinson's disease". CNN. November 17, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
- ↑ "Rev. Jesse Jackson and his wife have been hospitalized after testing positive for Covid-19", Natalie Andes, Hollie Silverman and Alaa Elassar, CNN, updated 8:18 PM ET, Sat August 21, 2021
- 1941 births
- Living people
- African-American politicians
- American adoptees
- American Baptist ministers
- American civil rights activists
- People with Parkinson's disease
- People from Greenville, South Carolina
- Politicians from Chicago
- Politicians from South Carolina
- HuffPost writers and columnists
- 1984 United States presidential candidates
- 1988 United States presidential candidates
- United States Shadow senators from District of Columbia
- Democratic Party (United States) politicians