Happy Birthday Rev Jesse Jackson

Civil Rights Icon Rev Jesse does not believe in slowing down even on his 73rd birthday.

To mark the occasion, Rev Jackson met with students, health administrators, young voters, and broadcasters last week to draw awareness to current issues facing minority communities in the United States. He spoke about minority involvement in STEM careers, the recent militarization of police departments, voting challenges and the need for a Right to Vote amendment, and the US response to the Ebola crisis.

He also addressed the international viewing and listening audience on his weekly telecast through the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, issuing a call to action for the upcoming midterm elections on November 4.

As he has throughout his entire life, he continues to actively engage minority individuals and encourage participation in the democratic process, both in the United States and here in the UK.

Long time friend and supporter of OBV Rev Jackson said on a recent visit:

What Operation Black Vote is doing here is informing people about the emerging power of the black vote in determining the next election in 2015. We want all those who want political change to register, and vote for the change they want to see. There are high hopes. The good news about Operation Black Vote is that there is a desire to use the power constructively. To determine leadership, to determine the flow of jobs, you have to influence the political process. I think consciousness is rising.

Rev Jesse Jackson, a Baptist minister, has long been engaged in civil rights activism in the United States and around the world. He first appeared on the national stage working for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s, promoting economic opportunity from his leadership position within the SCLC. In an effort to expand the fight for equality into politics, Rev Jackson founded Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition, later to be merged into the single organization Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and even twice ran for President himself, galvanizing minority participation in the political process.

In the 1980s, Rev Jackson began to take his fight for equality international, and has since served as a diplomat, envoy, and keynote speaker on a variety of occasions on the world stage. Today, he is an internationally respected world leader and has won over 40 honours, awards, accolades, and degrees. He is without a doubt one of America’s foremost civil rights, religious, and political figures.

I'm sure many here in the UK and beyond will join us in wishing Rev Jackson a very happy Birthday, and please don't stop trying to make our world a better place.

Ruth Hirsch