Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. is expected to step down as president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. In 1996, the activist founded the prominent nonprofit organization in Chicago, Illinois to pursue civil rights and social justice issues.
According to Politico, Jesse’s official announcement will take place on Sunday (July 16). It will be made at the organization’s annual convention in the city. The outlet noted that his successor will also be announced, and Vice President Kamala Harris will serve as the keynote speaker for the event.
In 2017, the reverend was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. “He’s had physical challenges, but he never stopped fighting,” Jonathan Jackson, his son, said. “He’s been fighting for civil rights since 1961. He didn’t give up when there were forces against the Voting Rights Act, or forces against the Equal Rights Amendment, or addressing priorities at home or peace abroad.”
Throughout his time as an activist, Jesse has been one of many well-known faces fighting for civil rights. In 1965, he marched in Selma, Alabama after “Bloody Sunday.” The 81-year-old has led protests to desegregate theaters and restaurants and was an aide to the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
After learning of the retirement announcement, Rev. Al Sharpton, a friend of Jesse’s, released a statement. “The resignation of Rev. Jesse Jackson is the pivoting of one of the most productive, prophetic, and dominant figures in the struggle for social justice in American history,” Sharpton stated. “It was my honor since my mother brought me to him at 12 years old to serve as the youth director for the New York chapter of Operation Breadbasket, down through the last decade, to have been a student and protégé of his.” He added, “Therefore, we think of him retiring, but rather that he has planted and nurtured seeds that are growing beyond his own organization.”
REV. AL SHARPTON STATEMENT ON RETIREMENT OF REV. JESSE JACKSON AS HEAD OF RAINBOW PUSH COALITION
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) July 14, 2023
Represents Decades of Mentorship, Friendship Among Two of America’s Leading Civil Rights Figures pic.twitter.com/ayRpUS6KbZ