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Commentaries/Opinions

The Zimmerman Verdict: A Turning Point in History

By Commentaries/Opinions

There comes a time in each generation where something happens that is so grievous and horrendous that all people of decency and good-will are issued a clarion call to action.

The not guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman trial is such a moment. The gauntlet has been thrown down to the Black sons and daughters of Marcus, Martin and Malcolm; Harriet, Ida and Fannie to act now to raise the level of struggle.

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Commentary, Articles and Essays by Rev. Jesse Jackson

LBJ’s war on poverty still only partly won

By Commentaries/Opinions, Rev Jesse Jackson

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Fifty years ago this week, Medgar Evers, the NAACP regional secretary in Mississippi, was murdered by a member of the White Citizens’ Council. Evers’ death received national attention, serving only to strengthen the movement for civil rights. Two years later, President Lyndon Johnson delivered a historic commencement address at Howard University, laying out progress made and challenges unmet. Johnson praised the “indomitable determination” of African Americans demanding their freedom. He hailed the Supreme Court for outlawing segregation, as well as Congress for passing the first civil rights legislation in 100 years. The barriers to freedom are tumbling down, but “freedom …

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Commentary, Articles and Essays by Rev. Jesse Jackson

Obama must see Africa in new light

By Commentaries/Opinions, Rev Jesse Jackson

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When President Obama and the first lady travel to Africa at the end of this month, they will receive a rapturous greeting. The president’s deep roots in Kenya, the land of his father, resonate throughout the continent. His success in the United States evokes pride and joy in Africa. I write this from Nigeria, a country that has just celebrated its 14th year of democracy. President Obama’s election enabled Africans to see America in a new light. I hope his visit will enable Americans to see Africa with new eyes. We know the problems of Africa: its poverty, corruption and …

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The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro

By Commentaries/Opinions

On July 5, 1852, Douglass gave a speech at an event commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence, held at Rochester’s Corinthian Hall. It was biting oratory, in which the speaker told his audience, “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.” And he asked them, “Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day?”

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