# Who is Jesse Jackson?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [September 28, 2011, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867 "2011-09-28T09:14:53Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/1 "2011-09-28T09:14:53Z")
I’m from the UK, but I’m a big fan of the American show South Park.
Jesse Jackson appeared in one episode, and I am curious what role does he have, and who elected him or was he appointed by the president? Do you have similar official representatives for the other ethnicities in America？
I’ve seen pictures of the Jena protests, and a video of him outside the Neverland ranch when Micheal Jackson died.
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### Author:  [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/2 "2011-09-28T09:26:37Z")
He holds no official _public_ or political office of any sort, elected, appointed or otherwise. He has run for, but did not win, the Democratic nomination for President twice.
He is a civil rights and social justice activist, a former Baptist pastor (still a minister but he doesn’t serve any one church) and media commentator. He is one of the leading African American community leaders in the country. He is also the president of [Rainbow/PUSH](http://rainbowpush.org) a civil rights and social justice organization.
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### Author:  [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/3 "2011-09-28T10:11:00Z")
He’s a fairly divisive figure in America, which you might have gleaned from South Park.
His supporters view him as somebody who works tirelessly to make sure racial issues aren’t swept under the rug and that minorities still push for equal treatment. He was active in the civil rights movement from early on, and commands some respect due to the length and depth of his involvement in civil rights issues.
His detractors view him as an attention-grabber who has grown obsessed with the spotlight and who will cry “racism!” any time a black person is accused of something bad by a white person. He is viewed as being something of an “us vs. them” person, and I think many white people believe Jackson would willingly, directly take things from white people and give them to black people if he had the power.
For myself, I find him a bit irritating but also imagine I’d find most people doing his job irritating. And it’s probably good that somebody is doing his job.
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### Author:  [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/4 "2011-09-28T10:17:48Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#):
>
> Jesse Jackson appeared in one episode, and I am curious what role does he have, and who elected him or was he appointed by the president? Do you have similar official representatives for the other ethnicities in America?
As an American I found this hilarious. 😃
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### Author:  [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/5 "2011-09-28T12:06:46Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#):
>
> He holds no official _public_ or political office of any sort, elected, appointed or otherwise. He has run for, but did not win, the Democratic nomination for President twice.
Nitpick: he did hold the position of “shadow senator” from the District of Columbia from '91 to '96. (To the OP: due to quirks in the U.S. Constitution, residents of the District of Columbia, where the city of Washington is located, do not have any official representation in Congress.) This position is pretty much powerless, but it’s technically an elected office.
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### Author:  [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/6 "2011-09-28T12:09:56Z")
> **[Jesse Jackson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_jackson)**
>
> Jesse Louis Jackson (né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American political activist, Baptist minister, and politician. He is the father of former U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. and current Representative Jonathan Jackson.
> Jackson began his activism as a protégé of Martin Luther King Jr., and founded the organizations that merged to form Rainbow/PUSH. Extending his activism into international matters beginning in the 1980s, he became a critic of the Reagan administration and launche...
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### Author:  [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/7 "2011-09-28T12:34:11Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#):
>
> As an American I found this hilarious. 😃
That is funny but upon reflection it’s kind of odd that we don’t …especially for Hispamics.
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### Author:  [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/8 "2011-09-28T12:43:55Z")
Was this, by any chance, the episode where Randy had to literally kiss his ass after uttering the “n-word” during a game show? If so, I can see how the OP might have gotten the impression that he did.
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### Author:  [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/9 "2011-09-28T12:48:03Z")
Thank you for all your answers
> [@MikeS](#):
>
> Nitpick: he did hold the position of “shadow senator”
Is shadow the preferred term now? I don’t see what’s so wrong with ‘Black’ or “African-American”:):)🙂
> [@joebuck20](#):
>
> Was this, by any chance, the episode where Randy had to literally kiss his ass after uttering the “n-word” during a game show? If so, I can see how the OP might have gotten the impression that he did.
Yep
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### Author:  [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/10 "2011-09-28T13:06:23Z")
Jackson’s “Rainbow Coalition” is famous for shaking down various industries. Blacks are often underepresented in well-paying jobs, generally for reasons of historical racism and poor education. Jackson would roll into town, accuse the leaders of an industry (like Wall Street Banks, etc.) of systemic racism, and demand and receive “donations” to his group in order to make him shut up and go away.
I recall the news articles when he tried this tactic on Silicon Valley in the 90’s. The leaders of the industry, basically in a years-long hiring frenzy, told him “Oh, you have lists of people who are qualified and looking for jobs? By all means send us their names!” He left without getting any money out of them.
Initially he was a bit hostile to Obama’s presidential bid; a bit resentful that some people like himself had spent decades promoting civil rights and working in politics, then some guy comes out of nowhere to get the presidential nomination. Or as one commentator said, Jackson’s made his living off of ‘no we can’t because they won’t let us’, so to have someone come along with ‘yes we can’ and prove him wrong, and undercut his livlihood, was a little annoying.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/11 "2011-09-28T13:21:09Z")
I believe Jesse Jackson worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and was present at the Lorraine Motel. I get the impression that Jackson viewed himself as Dr King’s successor as leader of the civil rights movement.
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### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/12 "2011-09-28T13:40:08Z")
> [@md2000](#):
>
> Initially he was a bit hostile to Obama’s presidential bid
_“a bit?”_ If I recall, he was caught on mike saying something about cutting Obama’s balls off!
Yes, he’s a civil rights leader, but these days he’s far from universally loved even within the black community.
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### Author:  [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/13 "2011-09-28T13:53:04Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#):
>
> Is shadow the preferred term now? I don’t see what’s so wrong with ‘Black’ or “African-American”
LOL. [Shadow Congressman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_congressperson). It’s still just “black,” or for some people “African-American” (which doesn’t account for blacks in other countries).
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### Author:  [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/14 "2011-09-28T14:19:24Z")
> [@Balthisar](#):
>
> “African-American” (which doesn’t account for blacks in other countries).
_A reporter asks the British runner Kris Akubusi about his recent olympic gold_
\*\*Reporter: \*\*“So, Kris, what does this mean to you as an African-American?”
\*\*Kris: \*\*“I’m not American, I’m British”
\*\*Reporter: \*\*“Yes, but as a British African-American …”
\*\*Kris: \*\*“I’m not African. I’m not American. I’m British.”
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### Author:  [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/15 "2011-09-28T14:21:21Z")
> [@What\_the](#):
>
> That is funny but upon reflection it’s kind of odd that we don’t …especially for Hispamics.
Even black people have wondered just who the hell he is, making himself the representative of blackdom.
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### Author:  [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/16 "2011-09-28T14:26:52Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#):
>
> I believe Jesse Jackson worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and was present at the Lorraine Motel. I get the impression that Jackson viewed himself as Dr King’s successor as leader of the civil rights movement.
Marin Luther King died right in Jessie Jackson’s arms. Jessie Jackson received his mission from Dr. King’s last words as he was baptized in his blood. Oh wait, that is what Jessie claimed for many years until it was proven it was complete bullshit. He wasn’t even near Martin Luther King when he was shot.
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### Author:  [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/17 "2011-09-28T14:33:10Z")
Who is Jesse Jackson??
A tremendous figure of strength and passion… also a figure with Shakespearean levels of ego and pomposity…
But also one of the greatest men this country has ever produced…
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### Author:  [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/18 "2011-09-28T15:27:09Z")
> [@Balthisar](#):
>
> It’s still just black," or for some people “African-American” (which doesn’t account for blacks in other countries).
Interestingly for this thread, one of the things for which Jesse Jackson is known is [leading the movement](http://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/31/us/african-american-favored-by-many-of-america-s-blacks.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm) to call blacks African-American.
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### Author:  [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/19 "2011-09-28T16:03:16Z")
On a plane from Dulles to San Francisco Jesse Jackson sat two rows behind me, aisle seat. It seemed like a good thing that he rode in coach, with all the commoners.
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### Author:  [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-jesse-jackson/597867/20 "2011-09-28T16:09:35Z")
He is also a proponent of [children’s literature](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPxPciXcJvc). 😉
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