Revd Jesse Jackson equality rally

Civil rights campaigner Reverend Jesse Jackson traveled to Dublin yesterday to rally voters to make their mark for equality, human rights and social justice in the the country's general election on February 25.

Reverend Jackson warned the gap between rich and poor will widen as the country's economic wonder turned into a nightmare, and criticised the bailing out of Ireland's banks with taxpayer funds while workers were punished with cuts.

Reverend Jackson, whose great grandfather was an Irish plantation owner and sheriff of Greenville County before the Civil War, believes the Irish and African American struggles for equality and freedom from oppression are intricately linked.

The Reverend believes Ireland stands at the edge of the freedom struggle, where it can exert much positive influence. "You can turn your historical pain into immense power," he said.

"You can use your scars to illuminate the way in other places in the world searching for light."

The religious leader spoke out as he launched the Equality and Rights Alliance's (Era) roadmap to a stronger equality and human rights infrastructure, which laid out the statutory improvements needed to build a more equal Irish society.

The campaigner inspired and chanted with delegates from Era's 160 organisations and children from Scoil Oilibheir in Blanchardstown, who also sang for the Reverend.

Reverend Jackson has warned governments that a budget is a statutory document which speaks volumes about those who prioritise over the vulnerable.

Winsome-Grace Cornish

The Reverend Jesse Jackson meets children from Scoil Oilibheir in Blanchardstown at the launch of the Equality and Rights Alliance Roadmap.