Floor SpeechNeutral2026-04-16

HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THE REVEREND JESSE LOUIS JACKSON, SR.

EconomyTaxesEnvironmentCrime & JusticeVoting RightsCivil Rights

Context

On 2026-04-16, Representative Danny K. Davis (D-IL-7) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THE REVEREND JESSE LOUIS JACKSON, SR." in the House. The speech addressed the economy and also covered taxes, the environment.

Full Text

HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THE REVEREND JESSE LOUIS JACKSON, SR.

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 67 (Thursday, April 16, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 67 (Thursday, April 16, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E339] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THE REVEREND JESSE LOUIS JACKSON, SR. ______ HON. DANNY K. DAVIS of illinois in the house of representatives Thursday, April 16, 2026 Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a proclamation honoring the life and legacy of the Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. Whereas, the Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr., born Jesse Louis Burns on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, and who departed this life on February 17, 2026, at the age of 84, was one of the towering moral voices of the American civil rights movement, a Baptist minister, two-time candidate for the Presidency of the United States, and a lifelong champion of the poor, the marginalized, and the voiceless across this nation and around the world; and Whereas, the Reverend Jackson first demonstrated his courage and calling as a young man in the segregated South, leading a sit-in at the Greenville County Public Library in 1960 that resulted in his arrest but ultimately contributed to the desegregation of that library system--an early act of nonviolent defiance that planted seeds of justice which would define the next six decades of his extraordinary life; and Whereas, in 1966, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. personally selected Reverend Jackson to lead the Chicago chapter of Operation Breadbasket--the economic arm of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference--and under his leadership, the program secured more than 2,000 new jobs and $15 million in new annual income for Chicago's Black community in its first fifteen months alone, forever binding Reverend Jackson's name and mission to the city of Chicago and its people; and Whereas, in December 1971, Reverend Jackson founded Operation PUSH-- People United to Serve Humanity--on Chicago's South Side, an institution built on the conviction that economic empowerment, voter registration, and educational access were inseparable from the full realization of civil rights, and which became one of the most consequential social justice organizations in American history; and Whereas, in 1984 and again in 1988, Reverend Jackson waged historic campaigns for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States--the first African American man to mount a serious and sustained national campaign for the presidency--winning more than 7 million votes in 1988 and inspiring millions of Black, Latino, working-class, and young Americans to believe that the highest office belonged to them too, and laying the groundwork which, as President Barack Obama later acknowledged, made future paths to the White House possible; and Whereas, in 1996, Reverend Jackson merged Operation PUSH with the National Rainbow Coalition to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition--a national organization whose South Side Chicago headquarters remains a beacon of activism, scholarship, and community power, carrying forward his mission of leveling economic and educational playing fields, expanding voting rights, advancing corporate accountability, and promoting peace and justice around the world; and Whereas, Reverend Jackson and Congressman Danny K. Davis shared a bond forged in decades of shared struggle and common purpose--fellow travelers in the ongoing work of organizing communities, registering voters, expanding economic opportunity, and demanding that the full promise of American democracy be extended to every citizen regardless of race, income, or circumstance; Congressman Davis, speaking on the day of Reverend Jackson's passing, bore witness to this partnership with characteristic eloquence, declaring that Chicago has become a center of the universe in terms of social activism, social involvement, and people power--and that much of that must be attributed to Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson--and closing with the words: `Long live Reverend Jesse Jackson, because the spirit of his being and the accomplishments of his work will live on forever and forever;' and Whereas, even in his final years, as Reverend Jackson battled Parkinson's disease with the same quiet dignity with which he had faced firehoses, courtrooms, and campaign trails, he remained a source of moral authority and inspiration to generations of organizers, clergy, elected officials, and ordinary Americans who learned from him that change is not given--it is earned, through sustained, fearless, organized, and faithful work; and Whereas, scripture reminds us in Micah 6:8, `He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God'--words that describe not a distant ideal, but the actual life that Reverend Jesse Jackson lived, from the streets of Greenville to the pulpits of Chicago to the floors of convention halls and the boardrooms of corporate America; Now, therefore, be it resolved, that I, Congressman Danny K. Davis, representing the 7th Congressional District of Illinois, do hereby extend this Extension of Remarks as a tribute to the life, ministry, and enduring legacy of the Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr.--a giant of the civil rights movement, a son of Chicago, a man of God, and a friend whose voice shaped this city, this nation, and this world. Let this Resolution stand as both an expression of gratitude for a life poured out in service to justices and as a solemn call to all who carry on--to register voters, demand equity, build community, and above all, to keep hope alive.

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HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THE REVEREND JESSE LOUIS JACKSON, SR. Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 67 (Thursday, April 16, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 67 (Thursday, April 16, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E339] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THE REVEREND JESSE LOUIS JACKSON, SR. ______ HON. DANNY K. DAVIS of illinois in the house of representatives Thursday, April 16, 2026 Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a proclamation honoring the life and legacy of the Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. Whereas, the Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr., born Jesse Louis Burns on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, and who departed this life on February 17, 2026, at the age of 84, was one of the towering moral voices of the American civil rights movement, a Baptist minister, two-time candidate for the Presidency of the United States, and a lifelong champion of the poor, the marginalized, and the voiceless across this nation and around the world; and Whereas, the Reverend Jackson first demonstrated his courage and calling as a young man in the segregated South, leading a sit-in at the Greenville County Public Library in 1960 that resulted in his arrest but ultimately contributed to the desegregation of that library system--an early act of nonviolent defiance that planted seeds of justice which would define the next six decades of his extraordinary life; and Whereas, in 1966, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. personally selected Reverend Jackson to lead the Chicago chapter of Operation Breadbasket--the economic arm of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference--and under his leadership, the program secured more than 2,000 new jobs and $15 million in new annual income for Chicago's Black community in its first fifteen months alone, forever binding Reverend Jackson's name and mission to the city of Chicago and its people; and Whereas, in December 1971, Reverend Jackson founded Operation PUSH-- People United to Serve Humanity--on Chicago's South Side, an institution built on the conviction that economic empowerment, voter registration, and educational access were inseparable from the full realization of civil rights, and which became one of the most consequential social justice organizations in American history; and Whereas, in 1984 and again in 1988, Reverend Jackson waged historic campaigns for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States--the first African American man to mount a serious and sustained national campaign for the presidency--winning more than 7 million votes in 1988 and inspiring millions of Black, Latino, working-class, and young Americans to believe that the highest office belonged to them too, and laying the groundwork which, as President Barack Obama later acknowledged, made future paths to the White House possible; and Whereas, in 1996, Reverend Jackson merged Operation PUSH with the National Rainbow Coalition to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition--a national organization whose South Side Chicago headquarters remains a beacon of activism, scholarship, and community power, carrying forward his mission of leveling economic and educational playing fields, expanding voting rights, advancing corporate accountability, and promoting peace and justice around the world; and Whereas, Reverend Jackson and Congressman Danny K. Davis shared a bond forged in decades of shared struggle and common purpose--fellow travelers in the ongoing work of organizing communities, registering voters, expanding economic opportunity, and demanding that the full promise of American democracy be extended to every citizen regardless of race, income, or circumstance; Congressman Davis, speaking on the day of Reverend Jackson's passing, bore witness to this partnership with characteristic eloquence, declaring that Chicago has become a center of the universe in terms of social activism, social involvement, and people power--and that much of that must be attributed to Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson--and closing with the words: `Long live Reverend Jesse Jackson, because the spirit of his being and the accomplishments of his work will live on forever and forever;' and Whereas, even in his final years, as Reverend Jackson battled Parkinson's disease with the same quiet dignity with which he had faced firehoses, courtrooms, and campaign trails, he remained a source of moral authority and inspiration to generations of organizers, clergy, elected officials, and ordinary Americans who learned from him that change is not given--it is earned, through sustained, fearless, organized, and faithful work; and Whereas, scripture reminds us in Micah 6:8, `He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God'--words that describe not a distant ideal, but the actual life that Reverend Jesse Jackson lived, from the streets of Greenville to the pulpits of Chicago to the floors of convention halls and the boardrooms of corporate America; Now, therefore, be it resolved, that I, Congressman Danny K. Davis, representing the 7th Congressional District of Illinois, do hereby extend this Extension of Remarks as a tribute to the life, ministry, and enduring legacy of the Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr.--a giant of the civil rights movement, a son of Chicago, a man of God, and a friend whose voice shaped this city, this nation, and this world. Let this Resolution stand as both an expression of gratitude for a life poured out in service to justices and as a solemn call to all who carry on--to register voters, demand equity, build community, and above all, to keep hope alive.