Jesse Jackson to retire from civil rights organization he led for more than 50 years
Announced Friday, Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate, will step down as president of Rainbow PUSH Coalition, an organization he established in 1971.
In 2017, Jackson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and has since suffered a fall as well as hospitalization due to Covid-19.
Founded by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., The Rainbow Push Coalition “Is the result of a merger between Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition,” according to the website. In 1966, Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. was appointed by Dr.King to serve as the first director of Operation Breadbasket in Chicago, IL.
Established in 1971, People United to Save Humanity (later changed from “Save” to “Serve”)–PUSH, was an organization dedicated to improving the economic conditions of black communities across the United States.
“Reverend Jesse Jackson is officially pivoting from his role as president of Rainbow PUSH Coalition. His commitment is unwavering, and he will elevate his life’s work by teaching ministers how to fight for social justice and continue the freedom movement,” the organization said in a statement. “Rev. Jackson’s global impact and civil rights career will be celebrated this weekend at the 57th annual Rainbow PUSH Coalition convention, where his successor will be introduced.”
The Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes, “a long-time student of Rev. Jackson and supporter” of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, will take over as the group’s leader, the coalition said in a statement. Haynes is the pastor at Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, according to the church’s website.
