Jackson, Jesse, Sr. (1941-)

Glynis Christine

Like Rosa Parks, Ralph Abernathy, and Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesse Jackson is associated with the U.S. Civil Rights Movement by many. He was part of the circle around King and was present when King was assassinated. During the 1970s and 1980s, Jackson's efforts sought to expand on the legal accomplishments of the movement, seeking economic parity for all of the disenfranchised people in the United States, not just African Americans. He founded Operation PUSH with this goal, and he also established the National Rainbow Coalition to encourage electoral participation; the two organizations are now merged. Jackson also ran for president unsuccessfully in 1984 and 1988. This entry describes his life and impact. Jesse Louis (Robinson) Jackson was born October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, to Helen Burns and Noah Robinson. In 1943, his mother married Charles Jackson, who adopted him in 1957. Jackson graduated from Sterling High School ...

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