Rev. Jesse Jackson recounts his time working alongside his close confidant, Martin Luther King Jr., in this powerful interview with Life Stories. He reflects on Dr. King's influential moral leadership, the power of nonviolence, and the collective sacrifices that made equality possible. From their first meeting and fierce battles for justice in Chicago to the aftermath of King’s assassination, Jackson’s narrative offers an intimate look at the legacy of two iconic leaders.
Jesse Jackson is one of the foremost civil and human rights leaders in the United States. Born on October 8, 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina, he graduated from public high school and earned a degree in Sociology from the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College, and was later ordained as a Baptist Minister. He rose to national prominence through his work with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), organizing in support of Dr. King during the sit-in movements and the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery. He later founded what is now the PUSH Rainbow Coalition, an organizing effort advocating for inclusivity and economic and political empowerment for all people. In 1984 and 1988 he led groundbreaking presidential campaigns for the Democratic nomination on a progressive platform that registered millions of first-time voters and received widespread national support. In 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded Jackson the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
From the HBO / Kunhardt Film Foundation (KFF) Documentary “King in the Wilderness” that follows Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the last years of his life: from the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to his assassination in 1968, through personal stories of the people who were around him.
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Chapter Markers:
00:00:38 - First meeting Dr. King
00:02:51 - Dr. King's scholarship
00:03:47 - Insights on Dr. King
00:05:17 - Dr. King’s Leadership
00:07:17 - Chicago Freedom Movement
00:08:13 - Segregation in Chicago
00:10:02 - Dr. King's life in Chicago
00:10:46 - Challenges of organizing
00:13:50 - Aftermath of the assassination in Chicago
00:17:03 - Sanitation workers' strike
00:18:13 - Memories of Dr. King
00:20:19 - Dr. King’s legacy
Jesse Jackson, Director, SCLC Operation Breadbasket
Interviewed By: Trey Ellis
Interview Date: May 17, 2017
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