Jesse Jackson

Jesse Jackson is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to form Rainbow/PUSH.
Articles by this author
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Views Tuesday, February 23, 2021 Our Fundamental Right to Vote Is Under Attack The fundamental right in a democracy—the right to vote—is once more under siege. In state after state, Republican legislators have introduced literally hundreds of bills designed to suppress voting. Their passion is fueled by Donald Trump’s big lie that the presidential election was "stolen" from... Read more |
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Views Tuesday, February 16, 2021 43 Republican Senators Chose To Stand With the Seditionists Rather Than Defend the Republic When asked what the Constitutional Convention had created, Benjamin Franklin replied, "A Republic if we can keep it." On Saturday, by an unprecedented bipartisan vote of 57-43, the Senate voted to keep the Republic and convict Donald Trump of his seditious incitement of the sacking of the Capitol... Read more |
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Views Tuesday, February 02, 2021 So-Called "Moderates" Always Say Helping the Poor Costs Too Much—But Their Lavish Gifts to the Rich Give Them Away In his first 10 days in office, Joe Biden has launched an intense effort to address the “cascading crises” that America faces. In addition to issuing executive orders to reverse several of Trump’s most poisonous acts — ending federal contracting with private prisons, reviving enforcement of... Read more |
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Views Tuesday, January 26, 2021 The US System Is Rigged So the Minority Can Rule Over the Majority The majority does not rule in the United States. The foundation of any democracy—one person, one vote—is mocked by institutionalized impediments that allow the minority to win even when they lose at the ballot box. In this era, even when Democrats win, they lose. And the will of the majority of the... Read more |
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Views Tuesday, January 19, 2021 Biden's Inauguration Gives Us New Hope, but the Movement for Justice Must Continue to Build on Its Own Agenda On Monday, we celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King’s 91st birthday; on Wednesday, Joe Biden will be inaugurated as president, promising change after a dark period of division. Dr. King’s relationship with John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson offers instructive lessons for today’s movement for justice... Read more |
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Views Tuesday, January 05, 2021 Take a Stand Against Gun Violence Terrorizing Our Streets Gun violence spiked across the country in 2020, the most violent year in decades. 19,000 were killed in shootings, the highest death toll in 20 years (and that does not include gun suicides). Mass shootings—defined as four or more shot in an incident—also rose drastically to over 600. Chicago’s 769... Read more |
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Views Wednesday, December 30, 2020 Americans, Looking for Bold Leadership, Need an Aspirational Agenda From Joe Biden As we turn to a new year, the spotlight shines on the new president and the new administration. Even as he assumes center stage in Washington, profound questions remain about Joe Biden’s plans. His initial appointments have been solid, diverse, experienced and capable, drawn overwhelmingly from the... Read more |
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Views Tuesday, December 22, 2020 The True Meaning of Christmas in the Age of Pandemic and Austerity On Friday, millions of people across the world will celebrate Christmas. Here and abroad, safety — staying home, social distancing, wearing masks, being sensible — requires limits on the gatherings and parties. Yet the bells still ring, music is in the air, lights on homes and lampposts shine,... Read more |
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Views Tuesday, December 15, 2020 In Georgia It Will Be Voter Turnout vs. GOP Voter Suppression Now that Donald Trump’s baseless lies about voter fraud have been summarily dismissed by the courts, perhaps some attention can be paid to the true threat to free and fair elections: systemic and massive voter suppression. Voter suppression, not voter fraud, could have critically important effects... Read more |
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Views Tuesday, December 08, 2020 Biden Should Revive the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights A new president takes office with the sense of possibility that comes with a new dawn. This is particularly true for Joe Biden, taking office after the divisive turmoil of Donald Trump’s years in office. Biden inherits truly fearsome troubles—among them the spiking pandemic, the collapsing economy... Read more |