In this episode of The Breakdown, we examine the legacy of Jesse Jackson and his global impact. He rose from Jim Crow South Carolina and joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference during the Civil Rights Movement. In Chicago, he led Operation Breadbasket and pushed corporations to hire Black workers. He believed political access without economic power was fragile. In 1984 and 1988, he ran for president and built the Rainbow Coalition. His campaigns expanded what many believed was politically possible. He centered apartheid and demanded sanctions against South Africa. He framed racial justice as a global moral issue. In 1984, he helped secure the release of a U.S. hostage in Syria. Later, President Bill Clinton appointed him Special Envoy to Africa. Jackson insisted that dignity requires power and organized solidarity. His life leaves a clear question: who will build the next bridge?
BY Malise Omoloye, 5:01am February 19, 2026,
Jesse Jackson: The Bridge Between Black America and Africa
by Malise Omoloye, 5:01am February 19, 2026,
