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.

Early Life

He was born as Jesse Louis Burns in a poor household in Greenville, South Carolina. He married Jacqueline Lavinia Brown on December 31, 1962. After attending the University of Illinois and North Carolina A&T University, he studied divinity at the Chicago Theological Seminary (although he did not finish his divinity studies), and began to organize in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference under the influence of Martin Luther King, Jr.. He claims to have been at King's side in Memphis when King was assassinated, April 4, 1968. He was ordained as a Baptist minister later that year.

Related Topics:
Greenville, South Carolina - Jacqueline Lavinia Brown - 1962 - University of Illinois - North Carolina A&T University - Divinity - Chicago Theological Seminary - Southern Christian Leadership Conference - Martin Luther King, Jr. - Memphis - April 4 - 1968 - Ordained - Baptist

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He formed two non-profit organizations, PUSH (People United To Serve Humanity) in 1971 and the Rainbow Coalition in 1984. Both groups were merged in 1996. In the 1980's he emerged as the most visible African American political figure, and became a spokesman for civil rights issues.

Related Topics:
Non-profit - PUSH - 1971 - Rainbow Coalition - 1984 - 1996 - African American - Civil rights

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