Jesse Jackson

Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. ( born October 8, 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina, as Jesse Louis Burns ) is an American politician, civil rights activist and Baptist minister. 1984 and 1988 he ran as a presidential candidate of the Democratic Party and was third in the primaries.

Childhood and youth

Jackson was born in a poor household in Greenville. After attending the University of Illinois and the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, he began to study theology at the Theological Seminary of Chicago and joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference under the leadership of Martin Luther King at. He was present at the assassination of King when he was shot on April 4, 1968 in Memphis.

Activities

Jackson founded two non-profit organizations in 1971 "PUSH" (People United To Serve Humanity ) and in 1984 the " Rainbow Coalition " (Eng. Rainbow Coalition ). Both groups were united in 1996. In the 1980s he was the most famous African-American politician and was a representative of civil rights. As Jackson also looked at as an advocate of Africans, he attended, for example, in 1972 the West African Liberia.

Presidential Candidate

1984 Jackson was to Shirley Chisholm (1972 ), the second African American ran for the presidency. With 3.5 million votes, he was unexpectedly third parties by Gary Hart and Walter Mondale, who won the nomination at the Democratic primaries. His participation increased the importance of black voters for the Democratic Party. During the election campaign, Jackson made ​​some, not intended for the public, anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli remarks, for which he later apologized.

Also in 1988 he applied for the presidency. During the election campaign, he argued that the Republican policies of President Ronald Reagan turn the clock back for civil rights and the poor in the cities. He was able to increase its earnings from 1984 significantly to 6.9 million votes and was at times at the delegates' votes gained in front. But in the end he lost despite 11 won states Michael Dukakis.

Political commitment

Although Jesse Jackson the "Third Way" or more moderate policies of Bill Clinton faced initially critical, he became a key ally of Clinton, was he who guided the voter and his close adviser and friend he was. His son, Jesse Jr. was a member of the House of Representatives, also a politician.

Jackson was involved in several negotiations with foreign government leaders to secure the release of American prisoners. So he met Fidel Castro, Saddam Hussein, and Slobodan Milošević. 1984, the Navy pilot Robert Goodman from Syria was released.

Jackson is also known as a passionate orator in the tradition of African-American and Southern preacher. He spoke on the million -man march of 1995 and took place during the close election decision in 2000 participated in pro-democracy demonstrations in Florida. He was released in 2003 on several demonstrations against the Iraq war.

Jesse Jackson was Barack Obama a long time critically. So he gave him 2007, inter alia, to behave like a white man. After a TV interview in 2008, Jackson expressed, at even unknowingly switched on microphone: "I would prefer to cut off his balls ." At the victory celebration after winning the presidential election in Chicago, November 4, 2008, he was seen, however, in the crowd standing and Barack Obama's speech with tears in his eyes following.

From 1991 to 1997 Jackson served as shadow senator for the Federal capital of Washington, DC; this rather symbolic political office, which is however officially elected by the Federal District, is to underline the efforts of Washington to a full voting rights in Congress.

Criticism

Jesse Jackson is seen by many as a contradictory figure. Critics accuse him of Jackson, he took advantage of impoverished black Americans to earn money and gain political power. Jackson's political activism and his high-profile visits to foreign leaders are dismissed by many as the search for attention. A famous quip states, " the most dangerous place in America is between Jesse Jackson and a television camera ."

Some of the allegations in the book Shakedown: Exposing the Real Jesse Jackson by Kenneth R. Timmerman are:

During the nineties Jackson's sons, and Jackson himself was accused of protest against large companies, these companies had paid to donate to a charitable organization of Jackson.

Jackson, who has been married since 1963, had in 2001 an affair with a young staff, from which emerged a child. This damaged Jesse Jackson's reputation even among his followers and persuaded him to desist for a short period of its activities.

Honors

On 9 August 2000, President Bill Clinton Jackson presented the Medal of Freedom ("The Presidential Medal of Freedom" ), the highest civilian award in the United States.