Continued from P
neighborhood gutter , in front
of their ives and children.
Those cruel reminder of
America's system of apar­
theid engrained in Jesse
Jackson the will to survive, the
will to build inner trength, the
likes of which no white-men
had ever known. Such
strength, that allows him the
title of political heavyweight
contender for the highest
office in America - the Un­
ited States presidency.
Early Leade hip Ability
All of his life experiences,
made Jackson develop an in­
ner determination and inner
drive which molded him into a
leader among his own peer . In
his all-blac , Sterling High
School, he was known as a
brash, confident, outgoing
young man, nicknamed "Bo
Diddly," with outstanding
athletic ability.
He was a star pupil in
English, and football seemed
to be his forte. His natural
ability gained him the position
of quarterback on his high
school football team. He even­
tion sit-ins in Greensboro. -
Again, Jackson went north, .
this time to study at the
Chicago Theological Sem­
inary. He dropped out after
two years, having been drawn
again to . Selma, Ala., where
tually won a football scholar­
ship to the University of Illi­
nois.
A young innocent, Jackson
believed that his going north
would somehow be better than
home. But, his beliefs were
shattered when he found out
that racism, for the most part
a just as bad in illinois as it
w s in Greenville. He left the U
of I after his freshman year, to
attend orth Carolina Agri­
cultural and Technical State
Unive ity in Greensboro.
Prior to his graduation in
1963,he becamemoreinteres­
ted in civil righ than football,
and by that time, had led nu­
merous tudent desegrega­
the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther
King was leading a sizable vot­
ing rights march. Jackson soon
became a member of King'
taff. Later in Chicago, in
1967; King named him head of
Operation Breadbasket, the
economic base of the civil
rights movement.
Jac on bro e his ties to
King's Southern Christian
Leader hip Conference and
founded his own organization,
Operation PUSH (people
UrutedToSeNeHummnty)in
1971. It was here, JaCkson
gained fame for leading boy-
cotts against large companie
uch Coca-Cola and Gen-
ac
---
a
a mis
•
. .
3
Coalition, which has gained
momentum in the last few
months. The coalition is made
up of Blacks, Hispanics,
Asians, women and the under­
privileged people of America.
The biggest boost Jackson has
received, however, has been
from a group of hurting far­
mers who previously had no
. way of voicing their problems
withthe federal government.
What makes these farmer
so significant is that they live
in Greenfield, Iowa. It's not a
'big city with lots of voters,
either. It only has a population
of2,243.and it has no Blacks. It
is here, where Jackson
opened up his first exploratory
office. His reasons were sim­
ple. In his speech to farmers
there on March 19, he said. "I
come to Greenfield to tell you
that you are not alone. We are
all in this together ..... The peo­
ple of Greenfield care deeply
about the destiny of our na­
tion. The people of Greenfield
represent the hope in Amer-
Continued on P ge 14
o
era! Foods. The e ;Nere also
the years in which his logan of
"I Am Somebody," became a
trademark.
Later he gained more fame
for his actions as a self-ap­
pointed American diplomat,
traveling the world over prom­
oting peace and justice bet-
een people of all nations. In
1984, he successfully nego­
tiated with Syrian President
Hafez Assad for the release of
captured U.S. pilot Lt. Robert
Goodman. He Jater repeated
the same quest ith Cuban
Pre ident Fidel Castro, gain­
ing the relea e of 48 American
and Cuban prisoners. Rev.
Jackson and his wife Jac­
queline, have five children:
Santita, 24, Jesse, '22. - Jo­
nathan, 21, Yusef, 17 and J ac-
ueline,12.
In the early 70's Jesse Jac -
son ported a huge afro, wore
DashilrlB, an w often pic­
tured with a clenched fist, ran­
r�sentin, black power. Today
he 'sports a tapered natural
look in pin-strip�d suits. But
his attitued toward issues fac­
ing America remain the same,
a continued quest for equal­
ity.
To some, his platform, dur­
ing his first pre idential quest
in 1984, wa omewhat vague.
Most political pundits viewed
his run for the presidency as 8
Tebellion against 'the system
Very few too him eriously.
Today, he i running for presi­
dent 'on a clear agenda, for
"jobs, peace and justice," for
the American public.
This agenda coupled with.
Jackson' name recognition
and political base have made
those doubting political pun­
dits, take another 100 at the
man and his mission.
If Jesse Jackson sounds
more like a prophet than a
politican, it· because he
believe in his endeavors as
affecting a humanistic cbange
in the orId order. He has
iterated his endeavor as being
not just a campaign, but a mis-
ion. It i a campaign rooted in
down-to-earth and sometimes
down-home, tI:ategy.
The number one item on his
list of programs on his political
platform is, "putting America
bac to wor "
Position On The I ue
JOBS. Jac on ay& Rea­
�an has used unemployment
to fight inflation. "Every 1 per­
cent of unemployment cost
the federal government about
30 million," Jackson said. He
proposes a plan by which he
would use employment to turn
tax consumers, i.e.(those who
receive, public aid and unem­
ployment benefits) into tax
paying revenu generators.
His program would employ
change and rebuild the infraa-
•
W
tnicture of the American work
force. This program would
employ people, generate tax­
e , reduce the deficit and give
people a sense of self worth
and dignity.
EDUCATIO • "If becom­
ing competitive again in the
world market, or improving
the quality of our lives i the
issue, education is the key,"
Jackson asserts. Jackson said
the government must assume
the responsibility to provide
adequate, equitable and equal
educational opportunity for all
children. After this effort,
Jackson believes that the
other half of the responsibility
lies with the parents and the
children to take advantage of
the opportunities provided for
them. This he said, "will help
prepare them for the future."
HEALTH CARE. "I think
health care is a human right,"
Jackson said. He often tells his
audience that there should be
beds for people when they get
sick, not for those who carry a
card proving they can pay the
bill if they get sick. Jackson
supports a national health
care ystem for that reason.
UNEMPLOYMENT.
Jackson said that during the
Reagan administration, unem­
ployment has been high, an
average of 8.1 percent
throughout the nation."Mr.
Reagan promised America 13
million new jobs, but de­
livered only 10.3 million,"
Jackson explained. He said
that in the past, such a high rate
of unemployment was con­
sidered morally' and socially
irresponsible. Jackson tells
his audiences, "Within the
last year, America has lost
500,000 manufacturing jobs
and 1 million middle class jobs
paying 28,000 or more. This
. a disgrace." Jackson aid.
u.S. POLICY.Jackson's
tance on the U.S. involve­
ment in icaragua is a balan­
ced one. He believes that the
United States should have
normalized ties with both
Cuba and Nicaragua. He
based his contention on the
premise that the U.S. has more
to offer the two countries than
the Soviet Union. He said the
Iran .. Contragate plot took
place in the "basement" of the
White House. Whether the
president did or did not know,
Jackson asserts, "Colonel
North and Admiral Poindex­
ter were carrying out the pre­
l8ident' , policy with' regard to
Nicaragua."
THE MIDDLE EAST
.JacUon parts from the con­
ventional Democratic Party
vie on the 'wue. The posi-
tion he takes can be viewed as
one from the Third World. He
believes that there will be no
peace in the Middle East until
there is a homeland for the
Palestinians. This position is
an unpopular one with pro­
Israeli ,groups. There have
been attempts by his adver­
saries to tie him to Minister
Louis Farrakhan. In his 1984
campaign, JackSon took some
jabs from his opponents, be­
cause he would not denounce
Farrakhan. Today, Jackson
maintains that he will not
denounce anyone's "per­
sonhood," and thatFarrakhan
is not envolved in his 1988
campaign.
During his 1984 campaign;
Jackson was viewed as a
"Blac " candidate. But now
he has broadened hiS con-
stituency through his National
Rainbow Coalition. To date,
Jackson has been designated
the frontrunner in the Democ­
ratic race.
A recent national Time
Magazine poll showed Jack­
son first with 26 percent,
followed by Massachusetts
Governor Michael Dukakis,
who has 9 percent. An ABC
Washington Post pol). placed
Jackson in the lead with 22
percent, still with Dukakis
trailing with 12 percent; and
in the latest CBS-New York
Times poli with 17 percent.
Jackson also has one major
advantage . over the other
Democratic presidential
hopefuls. He has greater
national recognition than any
other Democratic' candidate.
He is reveled as the most quot­
able and articulate person in
politics today. Jackson also
has the most incredible ability
of drawing press attention and
receiving free television time.
But his critics say that he
will face significant racism
when he attends the National
Democratic party Convention in
Atlanta, because that factor
has always been a barrier to
Blacks seeking high political
office. Others point to the fact
that Jackson has not pre­
viously held a government
post, and that in this century,
no one has been elected
without this prerequisite.
The question arises, can
Jesse Jackson win the Democ­
ratic presidential nomination?
Very often Jackson has an­
swered this question in his
speeches with, "Walter Mon­
dale won the Democratic
nomination with 6.8 million
vote in 1984, and over 9
million Blacks voted for him
during the general election.
With that many Black voters
behind Jesse Jackson in the
primaries, we have the num­
ber to win."
Certainly those numbers
that Jackson 0 often speaks
0(, include a National Rainbow