"We’ve lost an absolute icon of American history in this country. Reverend Jackson waged a lifelong crusade for racial justice and social progress, driven by extraordinary courage and unwavering clarity of his convictions.
"He sat-in against Jim Crow laws, he worked alongside Dr. King, he ran for President on the national stage. He guided the movement from the front lines and fundamentally reshaped America’s political and cultural landscape. He understood the power of uniting the struggle of Black Americans with the Rainbow-PUSH Coalition he founded, which is still arcing though history toward justice.
"Reverend Jackson helped to drive the movement for decades, with each march or boycott or campaign a leg in the longer journey of the ongoing civil rights movement. He devoted his life’s work to the liberation of oppressed peoples in many aspects of society, a tireless and dynamic warrior.
"In activism, political action, organizational skill, and perseverance through countless obstacles, he was a model and a mentor to many. Without the revolutionary campaign he ran in 1988, we may never have seen the generations of Black leadership to follow, from President Barack Obama to Public Advocate Jumaane Williams to Black elected officials all across this country. In the last decade, I had the privilege to have been able to meet and honor the man I had seen in streets and on screens throughout my life.
"I pray that in his passing, Reverend Jackson has the inspirational impact on others that he had in life, providing the push needed to build momentum toward true justice."
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