By Kat Noel
An audience that crossed color and generation lines gathered at John F. Kennedy Library and Museum on Monday to hear The Reverend Jesse Jackson discuss his views on the strategies and tactics used in the struggle for civil and human rights.
Jackson is a voice on the issue of human rights. His career began as an assistant to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and as a civil rights organizer for the Southern Leadership Conference. Jackson went on to found People United to Save Humanity (PUSH) and the National Rainbow Coalition, which is a national social justice organization devoted to political empowerment, education, and changing public policy.
The Strategies and Tactics in the Struggle for Civil and Human Rights Forum was part of the library’s mission to ‘promote open discourse on critical issues of our time’.
Callie Crossly was the moderator of the forum. Crossly is a television commentator who was once a producer for “20/20” and the Emmy award winning PBS documentary series “Eyes On the Prize.”
According to Jackson, minorities are behind in life expectancy, education and access to capital due to the fact that “the rules are not transparent, the field is not even and the goals are not clear.”
To prove his point, Jackson asked the audience whether there was equal access for minorities per capita and housing to each example the audience replied, “No.” Jackson said access to capital is the one factor that can bring minorities closer to equality and in order for that to occur, the economic playing field needs to be even.
When asked what should be done, Jackson gave several options: minorities can either submit and wait for a change or build coalitions and resist.
“The ground is no place for a champion,” Jackson said. “So we rise.”
Jackson said the American public is being fed diversions by politicians in order to distract them from the injustices and economic problems that are occurring in our society today. He asked those in the audience to raise their right hands, look at the sky, count to 10 and say the sky is falling.
“No, the sky isn’t falling,” Jackson said. “That was a diversion. Saddam is not coming, but the economy is going.”
Jackson spoke about recent corporate graft.
“Is it right to allow corporate thieves to go free?” asked Jackson. “People are homeless living in trailer parks, but we’re spending trillions in Iraq just in case maybe someone is creating weapons against us.”
Jackson said that today’s leaders are not in touch with the needs of the people. He credits Clinton’s two terms as President due to the fact he knew the “arithmetic’s of politics and knew his team players.”
“In the new arithmetic of politics we need to count who we are,” Jackson said. “If you want to be President, you must have a comfort level with America.”
The “we” Jackson refers to are women, minorities and the working class.
“If we know who we are in 2004, if we can declare ourselves we can declare victory,” Jackson said.
During the question and answer segment of the forum, Jackson not only discussed his national dilemmas, but also local problems affecting citizens right here in Boston.
“Busing a few youths is a Band-Aid,” Jackson said commenting on the inequities within Boston city schools in comparison to those in surrounding suburban areas. “We can not save a few of them and leave the rest behind.”
Barbara Nopoli, a faculty advisor from Brockton’s Massasoit Community College, brought a few of her students to the forum.
“I feel it’s important to give young people a taste of history, to have a different voice and to have role models,” Nopoli said.
Nopoli said the forum being free gave many people a chance to enjoy such a great opportunity.
For more information on any future forums, e-mail the library at [email protected] or call (617) 929-4500.
