📜 Facts about Jesse Jackson’s Life and Activism 🕊️

Jesse Louis Jackson was an American civil rights activist, politician, and ordained Baptist minister. He was a protégé of Martin Luther King Jr. and became a prominent civil rights leader from the late 20th into the 21st century.

👶 Early Life and Education

Jackson was born Jesse Louis Burns on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina. He was later adopted by his stepfather, Charles Henry Jackson, and took his surname. He attended segregated schools and was a multi-sport athlete and student president at Sterling High School.

🎓 College and Seminary

Jackson attended the University of Illinois on a football scholarship before transferring to North Carolina A&T, a historically black university. He graduated with a sociology degree in 1964 and later attended the Chicago Theological Seminary, leaving in 1966 to focus on civil rights.

✊ Civil Rights Movement

Jackson participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965. He was selected to head the Chicago branch of the SCLC’s Operation Breadbasket in 1966 and became its national director in 1967. The organization used boycotts to pressure businesses to hire Black workers and use Black-owned suppliers.

⚖️ Post-King Leadership and PUSH

After Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968, Jackson clashed with SCLC leader Ralph Abernathy. Following a dispute over Operation Breadbasket’s management and finances, Jackson and his staff resigned from the SCLC in December 1971. He then founded People United to Save Humanity (Operation PUSH).

🗳️ Political Career

Jackson launched presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988, finishing third and second for the Democratic nomination, respectively. He did not seek the presidency again but served as a shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He also hosted a CNN show from 1992 to 2000.

📌 Jesse Jackson was a defining civil rights leader whose activism spanned from the 1960s through the early 21st century. His work included economic boycotts, founding major organizations, and seeking political office, leaving a significant mark on American social and political life.