Jesse Jackson on his Childhood (2:21)
"I remember, the first second of my consciousness..."
Videos (28)
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Jesse Jackson on his Childhood
Jesse Jackson on his ChildhoodVideo Clip (2:21)
Video Clip (2:21)
"I remember, the first second of my consciousness..."
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Freedom March
Freedom MarchVideo Clip (1:38)
Video Clip (1:38)
Newsreel footage of the freedom march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, led by Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Jesse Jackson Talks About Heroes
Jesse Jackson Talks About HeroesVideo Clip (1:36)
Video Clip (1:36)
"...heroes come in with another quality of necessity, the people ride on the shoulders of the heroes. There are those special moments when you actually need some David to beat some Goliath. You need some Joe Louis to beat some Max Schmeling. You need Jesse Owens to defy some Hitler. You need some Jackie Robinson to lift the people..."
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Jesse Jackson: Baseball and his Father
Jesse Jackson: Baseball and his FatherVideo Clip (0:34)
Video Clip (0:34)
"My father, Charles Jackson, was a first-rate baseball player..."
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Civil Rights Act of 1964
Civil Rights Act of 1964Video Clip (2:57)
Video Clip (2:57)
After years of struggle and setbacks, advocates for equality celebrate the passage of sweeping legislation that prohibits racial discrimination.
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King Leads the March on Washington
King Leads the March on WashingtonVideo Clip (3:10)
Video Clip (3:10)
On August 28, 1963, a quarter million people gather to support civil rights, and share Dr. King's "dream" of equality.
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Inaugural Address: Barack H. Obama
Inaugural Address: Barack H. ObamaVideo Clip (3:23)
Video Clip (3:23)
An excerpt from Barack H. Obama's inaugural address on Tuesday, January 20, 2009.
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Jesse Jackson: Keys to Peace
Jesse Jackson: Keys to PeaceVideo Clip (1:26)
Video Clip (1:26)
How can peace be achieved in the Middle East? Jesse Jackson believes that in order to achieve peace, one must first achieve justice. To learn of the principles needed for peace, watch this Jesse Jackson interview.
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Jesse Jackson: 'We Have to go to Selma'
Jesse Jackson: 'We Have to go to Selma'Video Clip (1:42)
Video Clip (1:42)
"...two of the most prominent leaders of that march, were nearly beaten to death. I couldn't contain myself. So the next day, I got on a table at the seminar...and said 'if we are a seminary, if we are about what we are studying to become, ministers, we have to go to Selma..."
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Jesse Jackson Recalls MLK's Last Day
Jesse Jackson Recalls MLK's Last DayVideo Clip (2:05)
Video Clip (2:05)
Jesse Jackson remembers Martin Luther King Jr.'s reflective mood on the day he was assassinated.
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Jesse Jackson: MLK's Last Sermon
Jesse Jackson: MLK's Last SermonVideo Clip (0:48)
Video Clip (0:48)
"...and then Dr. King gave this speech. He climaxed talking about how he had been to the mountaintop. What I remember the most about the speech was how ministers, who ordinarily will exclaim joy and support a minister who is speaking. But how ministers cried. It was that kind of speech..."
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Jesse Jackson: Aftermath of King Assassination
Jesse Jackson: Aftermath of King AssassinationVideo Clip (1:38)
Video Clip (1:38)
In this History Channel video clip, we see an interview with Jesse Jackson. See how emotional it still is for Jackson, to sit down and talk about Martin Luther King and how he was killed right next to him some years ago.
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Jesse Jackson: Impact of MLK's Death
Jesse Jackson: Impact of MLK's DeathVideo Clip (1:39)
Video Clip (1:39)
"...All that I really knew to do at the time was to call upon my own analytic instincts. When a major player is hurt, you can't forfeit the game. You have to toughen up and buckle up, take a deep breath, and keep playing even in that player's name. You have to continue..."
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Jesse Jackson: Jackie Robinson's Influence
Jesse Jackson: Jackie Robinson's InfluenceVideo Clip (1:37)
Video Clip (1:37)
In this History Channel video, learn about why Jesse Jackson thinks Jackie Robinson is important. He talks about both Robinson's feats on the baseball field and his ability to face adversity off the field.
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Jesse Jackson: MLK's Legacy
Jesse Jackson: MLK's LegacyVideo Clip (0:51)
Video Clip (0:51)
Jesse Jackson talks about Martin Luther King Jr.'s effect on the human race.
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Jesse Jackson: Memory of MLK
Jesse Jackson: Memory of MLKVideo Clip (0:33)
Video Clip (0:33)
"...I shall never forget he was there, in the bedroom, his pajamas on. He was, if you will, reading a newspaper. 'Love, Power and Justice' by Paul Tilly and 'The Nature of Man' by Nietzsche, that was Dr. King in that setting."
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Jesse Jackson: Israeli and Palestine
Jesse Jackson: Israeli and PalestineVideo Clip (2:14)
Video Clip (2:14)
"...We do know that early on, moving on to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be addressed. It's gonna require Presidential leadership, stepping up as [former President] Jimmy Carter did... He offered honey to both and vinegar to neither."
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Jesse Jackson on Jackie Robinson
Jesse Jackson on Jackie RobinsonVideo Clip (1:15)
Video Clip (1:15)
"...Jackie Robinson was an authentic spokesman. He was with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. yet independent enough politically to choose Nelson Rockefeller over Democrats... the sense of independence and character that Jackie expressed on that field was translated into civilian life..."
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Jesse Jackson: Elvis and Civil Rights
Jesse Jackson: Elvis and Civil RightsVideo Clip (1:51)
Video Clip (1:51)
In this History Channel video, learn why Jesse Jackson considers Elvis an unacknowledged pioneer in the black rights movement. Jackson talks about how Elvis's backup band was The Sweet Inspirations, with Sissy Houston, Whitney's mother.
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Jesse Jackson: Muhammed Ali
Jesse Jackson: Muhammed AliVideo Clip (1:07)
Video Clip (1:07)
"Ali broke the mold. It was a new mold.there was always a sense thatthat athletes when they won they did so gracefully. Their sense of victory and prowess was always to be subdued. Gentlemen preferred it that way. Ali broke the mold."
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Jesse Jackson on the Space Race
Jesse Jackson on the Space RaceVideo Clip (1:23)
Video Clip (1:23)
"...A lot of students who did not have a career that they, determined to pursue; that was the way to get a scholarship. Either be a scientist or a ballplayer. And so, I believe even to this day, that the defense to the threats, internal and external threats, happens to be an enlightened mind."
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Jesse Jackson: Ali's Principles
Jesse Jackson: Ali's PrinciplesVideo Clip (0:49)
Video Clip (0:49)
"America has come to believe that war is not good, for America. But the guy who faced much of the hailstorm from that, was Muhammed Ali. At the greatest personal risk of, if you will, money, and popularity and fame. It would be so easy to rationalize how to slide around with those things in consideration. It seems that he abandoned mindless materialism for his faith and convictions. Very few men in the history of the world have stood taller."
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Jesse Jackson: Segregated Baseball
Jesse Jackson: Segregated BaseballVideo Clip (2:01)
Video Clip (2:01)
"...The umpire touched third base, and it sunk. And daddy said, 'they're not gonna let them play today, because they cannot risk that caliber of ball player on this field.' I mean, he just knew it. And then the umpire said, 'game's off.' "
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Jesse Jackson on Eisenhower
Jesse Jackson on EisenhowerVideo Clip (1:32)
Video Clip (1:32)
"...and the second thing I remember about him, is Little Rock. When he rose to the occasion and nationalized the guard to protect Ernest Green and the Little Rock Nine..."
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Jesse Jackson: MLK's Agony
Jesse Jackson: MLK's AgonyVideo Clip (2:31)
Video Clip (2:31)
Jesse Jackson talks about Dr. King's suffering during the Civil Rights Movement.
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Jesse Jackson on Elvis Preseley
Jesse Jackson on Elvis PreseleyVideo Clip (1:00)
Video Clip (1:00)
"I remember [Elvis] first as a white artist who imitated blacks. And while he inspired us, he excited us should I say, he was a copy of what we had already seen, many times over.And there was always this mixed feeling of watching a white carbon copy have more acceptance and more opportunities than the real McCoy."
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Jesse Jackson on the Cold War
Jesse Jackson on the Cold WarVideo Clip (2:42)
Video Clip (2:42)
"I remember that day, I was so full of fear about the ultimate showdown because we were being taught the implications of such a war between the U.S. and the Soviets, 90 miles from Miami, Florida..." From an interview with Jesse Jackson (March 6, 1991)
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Jesse Jackson: 'Selma the Place to Be'
Jesse Jackson: 'Selma the Place to Be'Video Clip (1:18)
Video Clip (1:18)
Jesse Jackson recalls standing in the rain with Dr. King in Selma, Alabama.
Photo Galleries (3)
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South Carolina
South Carolina(10 Photos)
10 Photos
History.com's state gallery for South Carolina. Learn more about the state symbols and famous landmarks.
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Black Women in Politics
Black Women in Politics(10 Photos)
10 Photos
View images of famous female African American politicians and activists.
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Barack Obama
Barack Obama(18 Photos)
18 Photos
The 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama was elected in 2008 and is the first African American to hold the office.
Speeches & Audio (1)
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Jesse Jackson at Democratic Convention
Jesse Jackson at Democratic ConventionAudio Clip (5:22)
Audio Clip (5:22)
In 1984, Jesse Jackson embarked on the first prominent presidential campaign by an African American in U.S. history.
Interactives (1)
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Black History Timeline
Black History TimelineInteractive
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Read More about Jesse Jackson
The American civil rights activist Jesse Jackson is a Baptist minister who ran for president in 1984 and 1988.
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