Jesse Jackson

The Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. (born October 8, 1941) is a civil rights and political activist in the United States. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988.

Controversies

Although Jackson is known mainly for his works in the civil rights arena, many people have alleged that Jackson uses his influence and reputation primarily for personal gain. Jackson is seen by his critics as using racial politics to advance himself and his family's financial interests. Some of the allegations are covered in the book Shakedown: Exposing the Real Jesse Jackson by Kenneth R. Timmerman.

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During the contested election of 2000, Jackson quickly became involved in pro-Democrat demonstrations in the state of Florida. Shortly afterward, it was revealed that Jackson (married since 1963) had an affair with a young staffer, Karin Stanford, that resulted in the birth of his daughter Ashley. This seriously damaged Jesse Jackson's credibility even among long-time supporters, and for a brief time prompted Jackson to withdraw from activism. During this time, it was suggested by some commentators that Al Sharpton had usurped Jackson's position as the leading figure in the African-American political movement. Jackson appeared at several anti-war rallies in opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. However, Jesse Jackson has often been the center of controversy. Critics of Jackson claim that he has exploited poverty stricken Black Americans in order to make money and gain political power.

Related Topics:
2000 - Florida - 1963 - Karin Stanford - Activism - Al Sharpton - 2003 invasion of Iraq

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Budweiser Boycott

In 1982, Jackson launched a "this Bud's a dud" boycott of Anheuser Busch because it had only three Black-owned distributors nationwide. After languishing for over a decade, the boycott movement received a boost when Budweiser?s River North distributorship was accused by several of its Black employees that they were being denied promotions. Jackson came to the aid of the employees in 1997 shortly after the first EEOC suit was filed.

Related Topics:
1982 - Boycott - Anheuser Busch - 1997 - EEOC

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Shortly thereafter, Anheuser Busch contributed $10,000 to Jackson?s Citizenship Education Fund, contributed over $500,000 to the Rainbow PUSH coalition, and established a $10 million fund to help non-whites buy distributorships.

Related Topics:
Citizenship Education Fund - Distributorship

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In 1998 the River North distributorship was purchased by two of Jackson?s sons, Yusef and Jonathan Jackson. They refuse to publicly disclose how much they paid for the distributor but the business was worth an estimated $25 to $30 million. Shortly after the sale, Jackson dropped his prior support of the Anheuser Busch boycott campaign.

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The St. Louis American, a Black-owned paper in St. Louis, reported that Jackson had demanded $500 each from local Black businessmen to help support the Anheuser-Busch boycott campaign. Jackson sued the paper for libel but dropped the suit when a judge ruled that the paper could inspect the finances of Jackson as well as his many organizations in order to prove their case.

Related Topics:
St. Louis American - St. Louis - Libel

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Jackson?s critics, such as Chicago Sun-Times reporter Tim Novak, claim that Jackson had in effect blackmailed Anheuser-Busch into selling the distributorship to Jackson?s sons in exchange for Jackson dropping the boycott. They also point out that Yusef and Jonathan Jackson had no prior experience in alcoholic beverage distribution or any other business. http://www.nlpc.org/gip/cef-e/e-k.htm

Related Topics:
Chicago Sun-Times - Tim Novak - Blackmail - Alcoholic beverage

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2004 Presidential Election

Jesse Jackson?s most recent project was gathering information and support to investigate the 2004 U.S. presidential election controversy, particularly the voting results in Ohio and its recount. Jackson called for a congressional debate on the matter, asking for a fair count and national voting standards, saying the elections in the United States each run with different standards by different states, with partisan tricks, racial bias, widespread incompetence, and are an open scandal. Jackson said he held some hope that the election could be overturned, although he admitted it is very doubtful.http://www.suntimes.com/output/jesse/cst-edt-jesse04.html

Related Topics:
2004 U.S. presidential election controversy - Ohio - United States

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Jackson compared the voting irregularities of Ohio to that of the recent Ukrainian presidential election, saying if Ohio was Ukraine the U.S. presidential election would not have been certified by the international community. Jackson has called Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell inappropriately partisan and that Blackwell may have been pressured by President George W. Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney to deliver Ohio to the Republican Party. Based on information obtained in hearings held by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), and discovered during a flawed recount of the Ohio Presidential Vote called for by Green Party Candidate David Cobb and Libertarian Candidate Michael Badnarik, Jackson suggested the Ohio voting machines were "rigged" and some African-Americans were forced to stand in line for six hours in the rain before voting. When asked for evidence, Jackson replied, "Based on distrusting the system, lack of paper trails, the anomaly of the exit polls." http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6770193

Related Topics:
Ukrainian presidential election - George W. Bush - Dick Cheney - Republican Party - African-Americans

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On January 6, 2005 U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary Democratic Staff released a 100 page report on the Ohio election. This challenge to the Ohio election was rejected by a vote of 1-74 by the Senate and 31-267 in the House. Many high-ranking Democrats chose to distance themselves from this debate, including John Kerry, despite Jesse Jackson personally asking Kerry for help. The call for election reform legislation and voting rights protection nonetheless continued from various citizen groups.

Related Topics:
U.S. House Committee - Judiciary Democratic Staff - John Kerry

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