February 24, 2010
Arriving more than an hour in advance, students from all of the Claremont Colleges anxiously awaited the opportunity to hear Jesse Jackson speak on January 22. It marked was the 22nd annual address in commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Claremont McKenna College.
Jackson, a prominent American civil rights activist, engaged in dinner with a group of Claremont McKenna students and then spoke to students of all 5-C’s at 7:00 pm in the Athenaeum. Jackson expounded on America’s historical racism and its relation to bigoted acts of sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, classism, etc. Emphasizing that there is still an urgent need for social change today, he said, “Your generation has work to do. We’re free but not equal. Direct our energy in a positive direction.” Jackson also made a point to recognize our country’s social progress.
Referencing King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, Jackson emphasized what King called the United States’ broken promise: the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment. Jackson said, “Congress, you promised; Lincoln, you promised.” Slavery may have ended, but public spaces were not actually “public.” African Americans were still prohibited to use the same “public” toilet as whites. In this case, “public” adhered merely to white people. He said that King’s speech honors a one-hundred-year promise, including equal opportunity and equal access. Today, the term “public” can still be regarded as biased, or geared towards a more dominant group.
“I feel there’s no place where you can’t go,” said Raven Jones (’12) on the topic of Jackson’s ideas, “but I feel like there are spaces where, me personally, or maybe someone who is not part of the dominant group, might feel like they don’t belong there. People don’t want to go because they don’t feel welcome and comfortable.”
Jackson expressed his perception of, and experiences with, public space through personal anecdotes. Growing up as a child in Greenville, North Carolina, he described how he would ride in the front of his grandfather’s wood truck. When he rode the public bus for the first time, he sat in the front, but did not understand why the bus driver wouldn’t continue driving until he moved. His mother yelled at him for sitting up front, and someone later told him, “She did that because she loves you.” Later in life, Jackson was arrested for protesting the local government’s legal bar of African Americans from using the public library; it was an example of how he and many others were determined to use nonviolent discipline to protest the racial injustice.
In order to fight these types of bias, bigotry and racism, we need to “change the culture of denial,” said Jackson. Discrimination still exists, just in different forms. King led our country’s transition from rigid legal segregation to the right to vote; now, Haiti is an extension of that historical segregation. While we have abolished slavery, ended the Jim Crow laws, and established the right to vote, people are still starving to death.
Jackson said that King recognized the connection between racism and poverty; he decided to take leadership in the Poor People’s Campaign, and traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, where Jackson was with him on his final birthday to organize the March on Washington. King spent that day in a church basement strategizing how to fight poverty and disease, and how to end the Vietnam War.
“Who we are is measured by how we treat the least of things. You’ve got to really care. You’ve got to really believe,” said Jackson.
Jackson’s speech touched on many forms of social identity, including race, gender, religion, sexuality and ethnicity. During the Question and Answer period, one student asked about the similarities between the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement for black people and the more contemporary LGBTQ movement. Jackson responded by saying “It’s the same. Except, to be black is to be identifiable. You don’t have to declare black. People must not be treated differently under the law, including sexual orientation.”
Jackson explained his concerns about different forms of discrimination he has recently witnessed in our country. He used the example not only of same-sex marriage, but also of English-Only as it discriminates against non-English speaking immigrants. He wittingly said, “The 10 Commandments weren’t written in English by the way.”
While discrimination continues to ensue in our society, Jackson made a point to emphasize our progress, and said, “Each victory along the way wasn’t a victory for blacks only.” He continued to reference progress within institutional settings, such as women in professional settings. He noted that schools that once rejected people of color are now recruiting people of color for athletics, and that Obama’s election significant growth in tolerance.
Through his storytelling, current-event awareness and establishment of the connection between all prejudices and forms of discrimination, Jackson encouraged strong activism and faith in one another.
“I thought it was inspiration for our generation…he told us to stand up!” said Elisha Whitman (’12).
If you’re curious about learning more about Jesse Jackson and his activism today, visit his organization’s wesbite: www.rainbowcoalition.com