CHICAGO (AP) – The Rev. Jesse Jackson announced on Saturday that he will be stepping down as president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the civil rights group he founded over 50 years ago. Jackson, 81, made the announcement during the organization’s annual convention, where he was honored with songs, kind words from fellow Black activists and politicians, and a video montage of his past presidential campaigns. Jackson, who has been dealing with health issues and uses a wheelchair, gave a quiet farewell speech with his children by his side. “I am somebody,” he said, urging an end to violence and hope for the future. The Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes, a long-time supporter of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, will take over as the group’s new leader.
Jackson, a protégé of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., broke with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1971 to form Operation PUSH, which later became the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. The organization’s mission includes promoting minority hiring and voter registration drives in communities of color. Jackson has been a prominent figure in the civil rights movement, advocating for voting rights, education, and participating in efforts to address Black hesitancy about COVID-19 vaccines. Although he had been the most successful Black presidential candidate before Barack Obama’s election in 2008, Jackson plans to continue working on social justice issues even after stepping down from his leadership role.
In his remarks, Jackson expressed his intention to continue advocating for survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and fighting for reparations for Black people. He was praised by speakers at the convention for his political strategy and his influence on the advancement of Black politicians. His daughter, Santita Jackson, urged attendees to carry on her father’s legacy and continue the fight for equality.