Bankole Thompson talks with Reverend Jesse Jackson about his thoughts on his presidential campaign, student activism, current civil right struggles, and the 2016 election. October, 2016.
Transcript:
Well Reverend Jackson thank you so
much for the opportunity to talk to you
now he said I want to begin by
looking at your historic run for
office when you laid claim to
the Democratic nomination and
how did that pave the way for Barack Obama
presidency would be that presumptuous but
suffice it to say in some point
someone starts and run just to run and
if I had not run in my cabinet with
set people up right to disappoint them
I ran and they'd afore I learned
what this is so over again I learned
the campaign and I was a New Hampshire not
just in the southern states we were told
you shouldn't I was to white all of the
good of the find you can't be valid if you
don't take it all on somebody's going
to found the family farmers and
who lost a farm to the corporate farm and
the blackness of the record lost a job
to corporations going abroad and
more income and then they realized it was
an economic class issue class issue and so
we begin to look up the family farm and
the unemployed urban worker and
a coalition was born so
we got double digits and
with that was a big deal we
actually beat gooing get bought and
I won that was a big deal I mean the
whites could he have voice of the limits
of race that's significant You mention
that because you know run just run away
to use overhead lines and
people to this day refer to that era as
one of the watershed moments in American
politics in Democratic politics did you
feel that you were on the try shoulder for
a major change and when you look back do
you feel it was a great move for you to
have made that kind of a bold run and
to really democratize process I
mean the how big the moment was
in the moment because I was really running
as an organizer in the political season
the primers the candidates determine the
agenda and the dress we're going to get
our civil rights issues raised we talk
about urban policy and free Mandela and
John the quote who couldn't hurt by
running and running to the press.
And so by the 8 there was an appreciation
of I brought to the conversation I
remember one night we were told just
you know the moral right we're going to
be in all these debates were
going discuss foreign policy so
if you don't want to come you'll have
to go somewhere you go from France and
I'll just you want to understand
I said as I'm anxious to
depart from policy to come a sickness of
what you know about foreign policy so
we can go on the phone policy
slavery was a foreign policy.
Of the mother we were trying to
expand consciousness looking back.
What how crucial was it for students to
leave activism back in the fifty's and
sixty's students basically came suddenly
had the drive I mean legal apartheid
the legal segregation we paid the bloody
price in that little part that because
there were those so
it sort of destiny in keeping us apart and
I found that the people of Beslan came as
quite close to exploit our part in this so
one generation fought in segregation as a
matter of law motivation for for the right
to vote so now fighting to reduce student
loan debt student loan debt ridden credit.
It cost too much to go to school means to
the best minds can't even apply to attend
University of Missouri became almost
a poster child around the country for
diversity.
How important is it what do you think is
a little restaurant on the football field
right now and the classroom.
Not in the faculty not
until your professors and
the football team said they will not
play football on this it will address
it was in the form of
the economic engine and P.R.
man they call football that's
captured the nation's attention and
those young men made a statement to
the nation Bernie Sanders made it
clear on the campaign trail to let us know
Senator Bernie Sanders that he supported
you Ron in the eighty's for president and
he built lively his populism
on your campaign of the $84.88 in
charge in the start of school and
so forth he brought a lot of people around
this movement a sign this movement around
Democratic politics what happens to
that movement now moving forward as
a demonic con to political accountability
those who were in that movement
must belong this is rollers if they let
their inspiration evaporate a trend and
the people know it was just a phase.
They must not allow themselves about
the vote for you personally to fulfill
the mission I would think
that not the team would find
a certain joy in this moment he would
urge us in the classroom watching this
people is taping going to class people to
not help the poor I mean they get a room.
No you know even your silo.
And then the furniture on their
hands of your own religious group or
you as they part in this
would join the universe
universe a toss universe a community if
you can of the universe miss you and.
can cope with a challenging world if you
just learn how to survive in your silo
you live beneath your privilege so
learn to live share and
grow together Thank you Reverend.
Wright The Reverend Jesse Jackson
founder and
president of the Rainbow Push Coalition
America's premier civil rights leader and
bankroll a Thompson.