Jesse Jackson

Who is Jesse Jackson?

Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as a shadow U.S. Senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He is the founder of the organizations that merged to form Rainbow/PUSH. Former U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. is his eldest son. Jackson was also the host of Both Sides with Jesse Jackson on CNN from 1992 to 2000.

Famous Quotes:

• My constituency is the desperate, the damned, the disinherited, the disrespected and the despised.
• A check or credit card, a Gucci bag strap, anything of value will do. Give as you live.
• America is not a blanket woven from one thread, one color, one cloth.
• When we're unemployed, we're called lazy; when the whites are unemployed it's called a depression.
• When the doors of opportunity swing open, we must make sure that we are not too drunk or too indifferent to walk through.
• I am not a perfect servant. I am a public servant doing my best against the odds. As I develop and serve, be patient. God is not finished with me yet.
• Your children need your presence more than your presents.
• We've removed the ceiling above our dreams. There are no more impossible dreams.
• Hold your head high, stick your chest out. You can make it. It gets dark sometimes, but morning comes. Keep hope alive.
• Great things happen in small places. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Jesse Jackson was born in Greenville.