[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E157-E158]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THE REVEREND JESSE LOUIS JACKSON, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANDRE CARSON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 24, 2026

  Mr. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the life and legacy of 
the Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr.--a moral giant of the civil 
rights movement, a champion for the poor and dispossessed, and one of 
the most gifted communicators in American history.
  I also want to express my love and support to Reverend Jackson's 
family as they grieve such a deeply personal loss, including our 
colleague Congressman Jonathan Jackson, our former colleague Jesse 
Jackson, Jr. and all the Jackson family members and friends.
  Reverend Jackson was born during height of the Jim Crow segregation 
in Greenville, South Carolina, yet he rose from humble beginnings to 
become a global voice for justice, equality, and human dignity. He 
first came to national prominence in the 1960s as a young advocate in 
the struggle for civil rights and an aide to Dr. King, who appointed 
him to lead the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's Operation 
Breadbasket in Chicago and eventually, it's national director. 
Following Dr. King's assassination in 1968, Reverend Jackson helped 
sustain and lead the movement's moral urgency, shaping a new era of 
activism grounded in nonviolence, direct action, and an unshakable 
faith in the power of love.
  In 1971, he founded Operation PUSH--``People United to Save 
Humanity'', building an inclusive advocacy movement united in the 
pursuit of economic and social justice. Reverend Jackson led boycotts 
against corporations that had poor records in hiring Black employees or 
contracting with Black businesses. In 1984, he organized the National 
Rainbow Coalition, bringing to life an organization of voters from a 
broad spectrum of races and creeds. This helped him launch his historic 
presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988,

[[Page E158]]

when he first won five primaries, and subsequently garnered 6.9 million 
votes. This transformed American politics, inspiring discouraged 
Americans to believe in the possibility of a multiracial democracy and 
helping to expand participation within the Democratic Party. His call 
to ``Keep Hope Alive!'' was more than a slogan--it was a moral charge 
to the Nation and a testament to his belief that love and collective 
action can bend the arc of history toward justice.
  For more than six decades, Reverend Jackson served as both bridge and 
trailblazer, connecting the civil rights movement of the 1960s to the 
ongoing struggle for a more inclusive democracy in the 21st century. He 
marched, organized, led boycotts, negotiated, and preached on behalf of 
those too often marginalized or ignored, always affirming, ``I am 
somebody.'' He mentored and was a friend to many, including me.
  Mr. Speaker, Reverend Jesse Jackson was a fearless advocate for love 
and justice whose voice stirred our conscience and challenged our 
Nation to live up to its highest ideals. I ask my colleagues to join me 
in honoring his extraordinary life and legacy, and in recommitting 
ourselves to the future of a Beloved Community that he so faithfully 
envisioned.

                          ____________________