Jesse Jackson

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Jesse Jackson
Reverend Jesse Jackson speaking at the UN crop.jpg
United States Shadow Senator
from the District of Columbia
In office
January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1997
Preceded bySeat established
Succeeded byPaul Strauss
Personal details
Born
Jesse Louis Burns

(1941-06-08) June 8, 1941 (age 80)
Greenville, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic Party
Spouse(s)
Jacqueline Brown (m. 1962)
ChildrenSantita
Jesse
Jonathan
Yusef DuBois
Jacqueline Lavinia
Ashley Laverne (with Karin Stanford)
ResidenceWashington, D.C.
Chicago, Illinois
Alma materUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Chicago Theological Seminary

Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. (born October 8, 1941) is 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]

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.[4] 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.[5] In 2020, during the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, he endorsed Bernie Sanders to be the democratic nominee.[6]

Controversy[change | change source]

He is known for saying some things that are controversial. Some things he said were offensive to Jews.[7][source?] He also said that Barack Obama was "acting like he's white"[8] and "talking down to black people."[9]

Personal life[change | change source]

Jackson's eldest son, Jesse Jackson Jr., is a former congressman from Illinois.

In November 2017, Jackson was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.[10]

In August 2021, Jackson and his wife were hospitalized at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, with COVID-19.[11]

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ "Jesse Jackson Biography". Bio/A&E Television Networks, LLC. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Jesse Jackson". History/A&E Television Networks, LLC. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Jesse Jackson Fast Facts". CNN. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  4. ↑ "What does DC's 'shadow delegation' to Congress actually do?". wusa9.com. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  5. ↑ Scott, Eugene (June 11, 2016). "Jesse Jackson endorses Hillary Clinton". CNN. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  6. ↑ CNN, Annie Grayer and Devan Cole. "Jesse Jackson endorses Bernie Sanders for president". CNN. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
  7. ↑ Sabato, Larry (1988). "Jesse Jackson's 'Hymietown' Remark – 1984". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  8. ↑ "Jesse Jackson: Obama needs to bring more attention to Jena 6 - CNN.com". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  9. ↑ "Jackson apologizes for 'crude' Obama remarks - CNN.com". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  10. ↑ "Jesse Jackson diagnosed with Parkinson's disease". CNN. November 17, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  11. ↑ "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
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