NATIONAL BLACK WALL STREET LEADER CONGRATULATES REV. JESSE L. JACKSON, SR ON HIGH AWARD FROM SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT !
Mark S. Allen, Veteran activist, Chairman of National Black Wall Street Chicago, Chief of Staff to National President of National Black Wall Street USA and former national aide to Rev. Jackson
For Immediate Release
Contact: James Gomez
Phone: 202-549-0395
Contact: Butch Wing
Phone: 510-701-8955
Contact: Michael L. Peery
Phone: 312-217-2260
Email:pressdepartment@rainbowpush.org
REVEREND JESSE L. JACKSON, SR. WILL RECEIVE THE PRESTIGIOUS AWARD OF THE ORDER OF COMPANIONS OF OR TAMBO FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF SOUTH AFRICA
Chicago April 23rd, 2013
The government of South Africa will bestow upon the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. the prestigious Award of the Order of Companions of OR Tambo for his excellent contributions to the fight against apartheid and the struggle for equality and human rights.
The Order of Companions is one of South Africa’s highest awards. It is given to foreign nationals (Heads of State and Government) and other foreign dignitaries, for their friendship, solidarity and support shown to South Africa. The Order constitutes an essential pillar of international and multilateral relations.
South African President Zuma will present Rev. Jackson on Saturday, April 27, 2013 at a ceremony to be held at the Sefako Mahgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria, South Africa.
The Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr., Founder and President of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. For over five decades, he has been one of the world’s foremost civil and human rights leaders.
Rev. Jackson life’s work has run parallel to the struggle against apartheid and the forging of a New South Africa.
Jesse Jackson first visited South Africa in 1979 following the death of Steve Biko. Jackson attracted huge crowds at his rallies in Soweto where he said about South Africa’s oppressive apartheid system, “we must measure human rights by one yardstick. Human rights for all human beings.” In 1985, he rallied with Oliver Tambo, Bishop Huddleston and tens of thousands of others in Britain’s Trafalgar Square, and met with PM Thatcher urging her to drop Britain’s support for the apartheid regime.
In the United States, Jackson worked tirelessly to mobilize opposition to the “terrorist state” of South Africa and to reshape the United States foreign policy on South Africa – a time when the US, Britain the Western Power constituted the major economic, political and military support for Apartheid. Rev. Jackson strongly opposed Reagan’s policy of constructive engagement with the apartheid regime.
During the 1984 presidential race Jesse Jackson met with ANC President Oliver Tambo, and pledged his support. Jackson was also a supporter of Reverend Leon Sullivan’s ‘principles which were designed to force U.S. corporations in South Africa to ameliorate the condition of Black workers. He called apartheid in South Africa a “moral disgrace,” making it a centerpiece of two campaigns for president of the United States.
Jackson also led campaigns against US and international businesses with ties to South Africa. In January 1985 Jackson met with Pope John Paul II and asked the pontiff to visit South Africa in order to hasten fundamental change in the white-minority-controlled country. Jackson met with Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev to cut all diplomatic ties with South Africa.
Jackson worked tirelessly in the United States and internationally to broaden the coalition for sanctions against the minority regime, eventually leading to the freeing of Nelson Mandela whom he met upon his release in 1990 from Robben Island. He was among the first Americans to meet Mandela as he was freed from prison, and was part of the official US delegation at the Presidential inauguration and the founding of a new South Africa.
Coalition–Keeping Hope Alive
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The Rainbow PUSH Coalition is a progressive organization protecting, defending and expanding civil rights to improve economic and educational opportunity. The organization is headquartered at 930 E. 50th St. in Chicago. For more information about the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, please visit www.rainbowpush.org or call (773) 373-3366.
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Replies
Within the "dispora'..............Jesse Jackson has been active. He has served many purposes. Many of these have been dishonorable~~~~~Dr. Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr......................I will not and cannot acknowledge any accomplishment and/or recognition he receives................
A Dream Deferred ( a paraphrasing)
by Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore--
And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.
Thank you for you comment, but FYI, when you say the words no matter how short "Jesse Jackson has been active," you have indeed made a public acknowledgement even in the context of your negative balance, but Thanks for your comment and let us all keep carrying on with our respective works.
Mtu...with respect and respectfully, your response is skewed...I repeat.........................I will not and cannot acknowledge any accomplishment and/or recognition he receives................
I am an "elder"...so the European mindset says. I remember being in several audiences during Dr King's speeches...as well as El Hajj Malik al Shabazz and the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. In Los Angeles (1960), I was an elementary school student the day that the horrendous 'butchering' of Dr. King took place. I watched my elders as they embraced 'us'/attempted to protect us/...and opened the archives of their memories of the south...they moved to California in the 1950's and never returned to the south again. It was at this time that the stories of Emmett Till were shared with me. I was placed in 'caucasian' dominated schools from grades 7 to 12 as a part of structural integration as a "nod" to the efforts of the Civil Rights era. I was in WATTS during the 1965 revolt. It was during adulthood that I realized the trauma inflicted upon me as an after effect. It was during college as a collegiate major in Pan Afrikan Studies...that I embraced Malcolm X, Dr. King, Kwame Toure, Emperor Haile Selassie I, Marcus 'messiah' Garvey......Baba Dick Gregory has enlightened me to the assignments of Jesse Jackson as a C.I.A. informant and participant in the turmoil of the 1960's and 1970's. As karma evolves.....Jackson is having his deja vu with his actions coming to fruition via his son...... Having said this, I respectfully conclude...ad infinitum....dialogue between Afrikan people(s) is important......I am 'napperon' in my stance. Ninakupenda ni Afrikan..............
I met Mr. Dick Gregory as a guest of Rev. Jackson at Rev. Jackson's headquarters when Mr. Gregory appeared at Rev. Jackson's public radio and TV broadcast and during that appearance with Rev. Jackson I was moved by the public accolades Mr. Gregory had for Rev. Jackson on his life's work. That is where I also met people like Rosa Parks, the mother of Emmitt Tilll and other elders of the civil rights movement, so I guess I will always cherish those moments and the positive things that they had to say about Rev. Jackson and his life's work
...addendum............Steve Cokely was my friend...I spoke with him several times and the Monday preceding his transition from this earth...;(
and lastly.........My sisters and brother are members of the Nation of Islam (Elijah Muhammad)...and louis farrakhan...was involved in what happened to Malcolm X...now I really and finished...Watu Waziri....
Steve Cokely was also a lifelong friend and community activist ally and I was humbled when his wife found me and asked me to speak at his Homegoing Service in Chicago. Carry on and best wishes.
Thank you for your comments. I have been with Rev. Jackson's organization's for over 40 years and never once did the doors of the organization close, despite funding challenges. But for most people today as I travel, spend more time finding the justification for why they do not support various organizations or leaders that finding ways to support or even manage their own leadership resource group. So we still find our serves managing over a trillion dollar consumer spending power and spending it to make the whole world rich and millions of other people working than Black people. So its back to work for those us who are STILL actively engaged trying to make measurable differences.
Unless the award had been given to Leon Sullivan posthumously, or given to Ronald Robinson, I will rank Rev. Jesse Jackson in the third of the three Africans who championed the freedom of South Africa. No doubt, Jackson has done more for Africans in America but the citation goes only to those who have worked hard for South Africa and Jackson obviously deserves to be considered. Since Operation RAINBOW PUSH COALITION collapsed in the eary 1990 due to mismanagement of funds, I have never heard of the COALITION again. It is better for us to rather praise Jacson for reversing the name NEGROES to AFRICAN AMERICANS when he made press conference after visiting Abacha of Nigeria. When the Negroes, now turned into African Ameicans accept their Africanity as the foundation of raising the ontinent of Africa to the level of the UNIITED STATES OF AFRICA and form organization to help AU reach its goal of uniting all the scattered children of Afica, we must all sing the following as a prelude to our real emancipation:
our love and toil in the years to be,
when we are grown and take our place
as men and women with our race.]
Father in heaven, who lovest all,
O help thy children when they call,
that they may build from age to age
an undefiled heritage.
Teach us to bear the yoke in youth,
with steadfastness and careful truth,
that, in our time, thy grace may give
the truth whereby the nations live.
Teach us to rule ourselves always,
controlled and cleanly night and day,
that we may bring, if need arise,
no maimed or worthless sacrifice.
Teach us to look in all our ends,
on thee for Judge, and not our friends,
that we, with thee, may walk uncowed
by fear or favor of the crowd.
Teach us the strength that cannot seek,
by deed or thought, to hurt the weak,
that, under thee, we may possess
man's strength to comfort man's distress.
Teach us delight in simple things,
and mirth that has no bitter springs,
forgiveness free of evil done,
and love to all men 'neath the sun.
[Land of our birth, our faith, our pride,
for whose dear sake our fathers died;
O Motherland, we pledge to thee
head, heart and hand through the years to be.]
Absolutely you have your opinion to this important post, but I just posted it as I got it !