[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 148 (Wednesday, October 5, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1776]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     ACKNOWLEDGING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE REVEREND JESSE JACKSON

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                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 5, 2011

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, this year, a memorial honoring the late Dr. 
Martin Luther King, Jr. was finally unveiled on the National Mall. This 
unveiling, which occurs during the presidency of the first African-
American President of the United States, is, for many, the culmination 
of the movement for equality and civil rights that began with Dr. King 
in the 1950s and 60s.
  However, those of us who have carried Dr. King's dream forward to the 
present understand that history isn't so neat and clean. While the arc 
of history does bend toward justice, it bends only because advocates 
for justice, peace, and human dignity have dedicated their lives to 
bending that arc through their leadership, determination, and sheer 
force of will.
  My friend, the Revered Jesse Jackson, is one of those people. From 
his days standing alongside Dr. King in Selma, to his groundbreaking 
run for the presidency in 1988, Reverend Jackson's commitment to an 
uncompromising vision of racial harmony and economic opportunity for 
all Americans has inspired millions.
  Perhaps the work Reverend Jackson is best known for are his efforts 
to fulfill the promise of America's great democratic experiment. Our 
history books teach us that the America established by our Founding 
Fathers purported to endow each American with certain fundamental 
rights. However, we all know that certain residents of this country--
African-American slaves, immigrants, women, and those without 
property--were left out of this original social contract. Reverend 
Jackson has spent his life trying to remedy this failing--to expand the 
membership of our social contract and ensure that everyone feels 
welcome in our big, loud American family.
  That's exactly what Reverend Jackson was doing when he founded the 
National Rainbow Coalition in 1984 and later ran for President in 1988. 
All of a sudden, millions of new voters--the young, ethnically and 
racially diverse minorities, the poor, and the politically marginalized 
all felt like they had a voice and a candidate who spoke for them. For 
the first time, many of them felt like they had ownership and a stake 
in the direction of their country. They realized they had power. I'm 
certain that the young people currently making headlines with their 
``occupation'' of Wall Street owe much of their movement's energy to 
the groundwork laid down by Reverend Jackson in 1988, when he reminded 
America that ``people power'' is the only surefire way to successfully 
challenge an entrenched and corrupt power structure that favors a 
wealthy few.
  Jesse Jackson has spent the last 50 years bending the arc of history 
towards justice. It is hard work, and a lesser man might be getting 
tired. For Reverend Jesse Jackson, the work of creating a more perfect 
union continues. Just last week, he marched with me through the streets 
of Detroit and spoke out on behalf of 41,000 mothers and children in 
Michigan who risk losing their access to the basic necessities of life 
because of cruel and misguided government policies. He was there to 
give a voice to the voiceless. That's just what he does. Mr. Speaker, 
this is why I am proud to acknowledge Reverend Jackson on the floor 
today for his life, his tremendous legacy, and, most of all, for the 
work that is yet to come.

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