Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. to Deliver Keynote Address at U of C’s MLK Event

Deborah Bayliss | As of Wednesday, December 31, 2014

At a time when protests calling for justice are occurring across the nation in response to high profile instances where African American men, that many feel were unjustly killed at the hands of police officers, followed by grand jury decisions not to indict them, longtime civil rights leader, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. will speak on the topic of “injustice” as part of his keynote address at the University of Chicago’s (U of C) 25th Annual, Martin Luther King Jr., celebration next month.

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Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

“It is an honor to have the Rev. Jesse Jackson with us this year,” said Karlene Burrell-McRae, associate dean of students and director of U of C’s Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, which is spearheading the event. “He is a recognized global leader who lives his commitment to the values upheld by Martin Luther King Jr.”

During the free event that is open to the public and scheduled for 6 p.m., Jan. 15 in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, 5850 S. Woodlawn Ave., Jackson will speak to this year’s theme, “What does justice look like?,” drawing on his personal history and experience as an advocate for issues of civil rights, economic and social justice, and global peace.

Jackson began his civil rights activism at age 18, when he sought to desegregate his hometown library in Greenville, S.C., and became a leader of the sit-in movement.

Jackson worked with Dr. King during the 1960s, directing Operation Breadbasket, a program committed to the economic empowerment of African American communities and founded Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) in 1971, followed by the National Rainbow Coalition, merging the two in 1996 to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a social change organization headquartered on Chicago’s South Side.

A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000, more than 40 honorary doctorate degrees and numerous other national and international awards, Jackson also has acted as a diplomat in international crisis situations in South Africa, Kosovo, Iraq, among others.

Part of a weeklong schedule of activities, includes the distribution of “promissory notes”—cards referencing King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech—that invite individuals and groups

to make a written pledge describing how they will contribute to a just society. The celebration is a community highlight.

On Sat., Jan. 17, the University Community Service Center will send more than 250 students, faculty and staff members into the community to volunteer in areas of education, health, poverty relief and community development.

Seating is limited and available on a first-come basis. The speech also will be webcast at UChicago Live.

A 7:30 p.m. community reception will immediately follow Jackson’s speech in Ida Noyes Hall’s Cloister Club. For more information please, visit mlk.uchicago.edu.

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