Jesse Louis Jackson




Jesse Louis Jackson was born on October 8, 1941 in Greenville, SC. A city with problems and racial segregation. From Jackson's birth he ran into, or faced his own personal discrimination. When Jackson's mother was a young girl she became pregnant by her married next-door neighbor, Noah Robinson. The young boy teased and taunted by his neighnbors and school class mates for being " a nobody who had no daddy." Insead of letting this adversity beat on him, Jackson developed a system that would allow him to not make the same mistakes. His mother eventually married and became a successful hairdresser while his stepfather, a postal employee, adopted Jackson in 1957.(britanica)

Jesse was an American Politician and Civil Rights leader. Jesse Jackson is also know as Rev. Jackson. In 1968, Jackson became a Baptist Minister. At the same time he became a director for CORE (congress of Racial Equalizim). (Reference- ask jeves ) conference to head its Operation Breadbasket. Jesse Jackson attended the University of Illinois and North Carolina Agriculture and Technical College. Jackson was mainly cocerned about the African Americans having to do all of the hard labor. Jesse left the SCLC in 1971 and founded operation PUSH ( People United to Save Humanity). Operation PUSH is an organization which continued the work of operation breadbasket without SCLC's sponsorship. (America Encylopedia)

Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesse Jackson became good friends and worked well together. As Martin Luther King's slogan was "I have a dream", Jackson's was " I Am Somebody". (America Encyclopedia) By the mid 1970's, Jackson was a national figure and was very popular. He realized that most of the problems leading to racism were alchol and drug abuse. He also thought that it reflected back on teen pregnancy. In 1976, Jackson created or came up with, the PUSH-Excel, a program aimed at motivatiog children and teens to succeed in there life.(encyclopedia britanica)

Jesse Jackson took a stand for everything he belived in. He also helped racism and teen drug, pregnancy and abuse.

For More Information:

http://www.rainbowpush.org/

http://www.usbol.com/ctjournal/JJacksonbio.html

Created by Liz H and Ashley M
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