This past weekend, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson retired from his position as the leader of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Jackson founded this civil and human rights organization during the 1970s.

On July 16, Vice President Kamala Harris praised the civil rights leader at a retirement party in Chicago, Illinois. 

Harris gave a speech at the event where she thanked Jackson for his career of fighting for civil rights and trying to unite Americans.

She stressed the importance of Americans standing together to combat extremists that allegedly have an agenda to divide us.  

She also talked about how certain freedoms, such as abortion, affirmative action, and student debt relief, are under attack, thanks to several Supreme Court rulings that have taken place over the last year. 

During the event at the Apostolic Church of God, Rev. Frederick Haynes III, the Senior Pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, was named as Jackson’s successor to head Rainbow PUSH.

Congressman Jonathan Jackson, Jackson’s son, also gave a speech at the event. He criticized individuals who believe Harris doesn’t deserve to be in the position of the US vice president.

Jackson stressed the importance of having minorities at the governing table in order for the US’ minorities to be properly represented in the political process. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) gave a speech in a video presentation where he reminisced about the “Action Jackson” T-shirt his grandmother gave him during Jackson’s presidential run.

Jackson was a protege of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and launched two presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988. In the latter presidential campaign, Jackson finished in second place to the Democratic governor of Massachusetts, Michael Dukakis. 

Jackson stopped running for the presidency after 1988. Since then, Jackson dedicated the rest of his career to political activism that has been focused on combating alleged cases of racism and advancing the interests of African-Americans.