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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of  
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Representatives are pleased to honor one of the most notable 
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figures of our time, the Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr.; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. was born in Greenville, 
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South Carolina on October 8, 1941; the son of an Alabama 
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sharecropper, he adopted his stepfather's last name; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. was a good enough 
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athlete in high school to be offered a contract by the Chicago 
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White Sox, but he turned it down due to discrepancies in pay 
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between white and black players; he also turned down an 
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athletic scholarship at the University of Illinois when he was 
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told that, as a black, he could not expect to play as 
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quarterback; instead, he attended the mostly black 
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Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina in 
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Greensboro, North Carolina; in addition to being an outstanding 
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athlete, student, and campus leader, he took a lead in protests 
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that forced Greensboro to integrate its restaurants and 
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theaters; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. then trained for the 
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ministry at the Chicago Theological Seminary; having joined the 
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protest movement led by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern 
 


 






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Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), he was named head of 
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the Chicago branch of Operation Breadbasket, the SCLC's program 
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to persuade American businesses to hire blacks and to get 
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companies to sell products made by blacks, in 1965; he became 
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Operation Breadbasket's national head in 1967, proving highly 
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successful in this position for several years; he also helped 
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create the Chicago Freedom Movement (1966) to press for 
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integrated schools and open housing; Jackson was beside Dr. 
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Martin Luther King Jr. when he was assassinated in 1968; after 
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Dr. King's assassination, Jackson was viewed by some as the 
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potential successor to King as the leader in the struggle for 
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civil rights; and

 
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    WHEREAS, After he was ordained as a Baptist minister in 
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1968, Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr.  concentrated his fight for 
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rights in the City of Chicago; after leaving Operation 
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Breadbasket in 1971, he founded his own organization, PUSH 
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(People United to Save Humanity), which would continue the 
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fight to improve the lives of African-Americans in a variety of 
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fronts; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Becoming increasingly more active on the 
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political scene, Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr.  led a group that 
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successfully challenged Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley's slate 
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of delegates at the Democratic National Convention in 1972; 
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backed by another of his organizations, the Rainbow Coalition, 
 


 






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he ran in the 1984 and 1988 Democratic presidential primaries, 
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gaining enough votes to ensure an important presence at the 
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conventions; as a primary candidate, he constantly won favor 
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with surprising constituencies as he inserted himself into a 
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variety of events, including rushing off to Syria to gain the 
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freedom of an American pilot and joining picket lines at 
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numerous labor actions; his son, Jesse Jackson Jr., has also 
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emerged as a political figure, becoming a member of the House 
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of Representatives from the State of Illinois; and

 
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    WHEREAS, After a brief hiatus from political advocacy, 
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Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. reemerged on the political scene in 
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2004 following voting problems plaguing the presidential 
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election; in a bid for justice, he called for a congressional 
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debate on the matter, asking for a fair count of the country's 
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votes and nationwide voting standards; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Even today, Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. continues 
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to be named whenever there is a need for a new African-American 
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leader, whether it be a mayor of Chicago or the first senator 
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of Washington, D.C. if it became a state; he is undoubtedly 
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well known as one of the more striking figures in American 
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public life in the late 20th century and has remained a 
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commanding presence in the 21st century; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
 


 






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NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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designate October 8, 2008 and every October 8 thereafter as 
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Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. Day in the State of Illinois in 
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honor of this visionary civil rights leader; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. as a symbol of our 
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esteem and respect.