A RESOLUTION adjourning the Senate in honor and loving memory of the incomparable Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr.

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A RESOLUTION adjourning the Senate in honor and loving memory of the 1
incomparable Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. 2
WHEREAS, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. was born on October 8, 1 941, in Greenville, 3
South Carolina. He graduated from public schools in Greenville and then enrolled at the 4
University of Illinois on a football scholarship. He later transferred to North Carolina 5
Agricultural and Technical State University, from which he graduated in 1964; and 6
WHEREAS, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. began his theological studies at Chicago 7
Theological Seminary but deferred his studies when he began working full -time in the 8
civil rights movement with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was ordained on June 30, 9
1968 and earned his Master of Divinity degree from the Chicago Theological Seminary 10
in 2000; and 11
WHEREAS, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. began his activism as a student in the summer 12
of 1960 when he sought to desegregate the local public library in Green ville and served 13
as a leader in the sit -in movement. In 1965, he became a full -time organizer for the 14
Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He was soon appointed by Dr. Martin Luther 15
King, Jr. to direct the Operation Breadbasket program; and 16
WHEREAS, in December 1971, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. founded Operation PUSH 17
(People United to Serve Humanity) in Chicago with the goals of economic empowerment 18
and expanding educational, business, and employment opportunities for the 19
disadvantaged and people of color. In 1984, he founded the National Rainbow Coalition, 20
a social justice organization based in Washington, D.C., that is devoted to political 21
empowerment, education, and changing public policy. In September 1996, the Rainbow 22
Coalition and Operation PUSH merged to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition to continue 23
the work of both organizations; and 24
WHEREAS, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr.'s presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988 25
broke new ground in United States politics. His 1984 campaign registered over one 26
million new vo ters, won 3.5 million votes, and helped the Democratic Party regain 27
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control of the Senate in 1986. His 1988 campaign registered over two million new voters, 1
won seven million votes, and helped boost hundreds of state and local elected officials 2
into office . He won historic victories, coming in first or second in 46 of 54 primary 3
contests; and 4
WHEREAS, on November 2, 1985, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. joined with Oliver 5
Tambo, Bishop Trevor Huddleston, Ken Livingston, Bernie Grant, Keith Vaz, Paul 6
Boateng, future member of parliament Diane Abbot, and others at the 120,000 -strong 7
demonstration in London's Trafalgar Square to protest apartheid in South Africa and call 8
upon the South African government to free Nelson Mandela. He later met with Prime 9
Minister Margaret Thatcher, appealing to her to end Britain's support for apartheid; and 10
WHEREAS, in 1991, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. was elected to serve as Senator of 11
Washington, D.C., where he advocated for statehood for the nation's capital and 12
advanced the "rainbow" agen da at the national and international levels. He continued to 13
promote voter registration and lead get -out-the-vote campaigns, believing that everyone 14
should be encouraged to be a responsible, informed, and active voter. He also 15
spearheaded major organizing tours through Appalachia, Mississippi, California, and 16
Georgia; and 17
WHEREAS, in October 1997, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. was appointed by President 18
Bill Clinton and then -Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as "Special Envoy of the 19
President and Secretary of State for the Promotion of Democracy in Africa." In this 20
capacity he traveled to several countries in Africa and met with national leaders, such as 21
President Nelson Mandela of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency Daniel T. 22
Arap Moi of Kenya, and President Frederick J.T. Chiluba of Zambia; and 23
WHEREAS, on February 16, 2003, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. was the keynote speaker 24
at a rally held in London's Hyde Park with over one million people protesting the 25
expected invasion of Iraq by the United States. In August 2007, Equanomics UK invited 26
him to help launch the new organization in a historic nine-city United Kingdom tour. The 27
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tour coincided with the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 1
Britain. At the conclusion of the tour, he joined international dignitaries at the unveiling 2
of a statue of Nelson Mandela in London's Parliament Square; and 3
WHEREAS, in January 2008, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. delivered the international 4
keynote address on the life and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi at an event in New Delhi, 5
India, marking the 50th anniversary of Gandhi 's martyrdom. The global event celebrated 6
the strength of nonviolent, peaceful protest that Gandhi demonstrated in his 7
uncompromising quest for peace and justice; and 8
WHEREAS, due to his status as a highly respected and trusted world leader, Rev. 9
Jesse Jac kson, Sr. acted as an international diplomat in many sensitive situations. In 10
1984, he secured the release of captured Navy Lieutenant Robert Goodman from Syria 11
and the release of 48 Cuban and Cuban -American prisoners from Cuba. He was the first 12
American t o bring home citizens of the United Kingdom, France, and other countries 13
who were held as "human shields" by Saddam Hussein in Kuwait and Iraq in 1990. In 14
1999, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. negotiated the release of United States soldiers held hostage 15
in Kosovo. In August 2000, he helped negotiate the release of four journalists working on 16
a documentary for Britain's BBC 4 network who were held in Liberia. Rev. Jackson 17
traveled extensively in the Middle East and Asia and was a special guest of President 18
Fernando Cardoso of Brazil in honoring Zumbi, the leader of slave revolts that led to the 19
end of slavery in Brazil; and 20
WHEREAS, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. was a consistent and vigorous supporter of the 21
labor movement in the United States and around the world and wal ked more picket lines 22
and spoken at more labor rallies than any other national leader. He worked with unions to 23
organize workers, protect workers' rights, and mediate labor disputes. In 1996, he 24
traveled to Asia to investigate treatment of workers in the J apanese automobile industry 25
and in athletic apparel factories in Indonesia; and 26
WHEREAS, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. lectured at major colleges and universities, 27
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including Howard University, Yale University, Princeton University, Morehouse College, 1
Harvard University, Columbia University, Stanford University, and Hampton University; 2
and 3
WHEREAS, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. was a leading advocate for a variety of public 4
policy issues, including universal health care, equal administration of justice in all 5
communities, sufficient funding for enforcement of civil rights laws, and increased 6
attention to business investment in under -served domestic communities, a theme that the 7
Clinton administration incorporated in the "New Markets Initiative." Rev. Jackson also 8
supported a broad range of policies to improve education, eliminate poverty, and remind 9
everyone that we are a "One -Big-Tent-America," with room for all and with no one left 10
in the margins. He spearheaded the campaign of "Restructure Loans, Don't Foreclose on 11
Homes," which tackled the housing and economic crises gripping the world. He also 12
visited thousands of high schools, colleges, universities, and correctional facilities 13
encouraging excellence, inspiring hope, and challenging young people to study diligently 14
and stay drug-free; and 15
WHEREAS, in his lifetime, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. received more than 40 honorary 16
doctorate degrees and countless awards and honors for his work in human and civil rights 17
and nonviolent social change. In 1991, the United States Postal Service put his likeness 18
on a pictorial postal cancellation, only the second living person to receive such an honor. 19
Rev. Jackson was on the Gallup List of the Ten Most Respected Americans for many 20
years, he also received the prestigious NAACP Spingarn Aw ard, in addition to honors 21
from hundreds of grassroots, civic, and community organizations from coast to coast; and 22
WHEREAS, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. was made an Honorary Fellow of Regents Park 23
College at Oxford University in the United Kingdom in November 2007. In March 2010, 24
he received an Honorary Fellowship from Edge Hill University in Liverpool, England. 25
He was inducted into the prestigious Cambridge Union Society. In April 2010, he was 26
awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of KwaZulu -Natal in South Africa. 27
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On August 9, 2000, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation's 1
highest civilian honor, by President Bill Clinton for his work. In 2009 he also received 2
the "Global Diversity and Inclusion Award" by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown; 3
and 4
WHEREAS, on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. died 5
peacefully at the age of 84, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife, 6
Jacqueline; their children, Santita, Jesse Jr., Jonathan, Yusef, and Jacqueline; anot her 7
daughter, Ashley Jackson; and a several grandchildren; and 8
WHEREAS, the Jackson family stated that, "Our father was a servant leader — not 9
only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the 10
world. We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our 11
extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, 12
and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by"; 13
NOW, THEREFORE, 14
Be it re solved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 15
Kentucky: 16
Section 1. The Senate hereby extends its most profound sympathy upon the 17
passing of Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. and expresses heartfelt condolences to his family, 18
friends, and all that knew him in this time of loss. 19
Section 2. When the Senate adjourns this day, it does so in honor and loving 20
memory of the incomparable Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. 21
Section 3. The Clerk of the Senate is directed to transmit a copy of this 22
Resolution to Senator Gerald Neal. 23