P R O F I
Jesse Jackson
and the
Rainbow Coalition
by C ynthia Cumfer
There is a different kind of presidential
candidate running a different campaign this
year. In years past it has often been hard to
distinguish between the candidates for presi
dent Frequently, the various candidates
would attempt to project an image, some
times offer a program and make a stab at
getting elected. Someone would get elected
and four years later, we would do it all over
again.
This year, Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow
Coalition (not a musical gorup!) offer some
thing different Reverend Jackson has put
together a movement of what he calls “the
dispossessed,” the old minorities (and in the
case of women, the dispossessed majority)
that can become a new majority. Reverend
Jackson is appealing to a variety of different
groups, including blacks, hispanics, Native
Americans, Jews, gays and lesbians, the el
derly, peace activists, and the poor to unite
and build a movement that represents the
interests of those of us who are not in power.
This concept of unity Reverend Jackson is
calling the Rainbow Coalition. One of the
prim ary purposes o f the Rainbow Coalition
and the Jackson campaign is to register vot
ers who are unregistered and to see that the
Voting Rights Act is fairly enforced. Another is
to encourage politicians interested in the
Rainbow Coalition concept to run for local
offices. What is exciting about Reverend
Jackson’s campaign is that many of the
groups he is trying to reach have finally, for
the first tim e possibly ever, begun uniting,
making contact with each other, and learning
about each other.
Jesse Jackson was bom in Greenville,
South Carolna, in 1941. While at the Agricul
tural and Technical College of North Carolina
in Greensboro, Jackson became involved in
the civil rights movement By 1963, he was
leading daily student sit-ins and protest
marches which eventually brought about de
segregation of Greensboro’s theatres and re
staurants. In 1964, Jackson graduated and
worked briefly for the governor of North
Carolina, organizing Young Democrat Clubs.
In 1965, he entered Chicago Theological
Seminary and was ordained a Baptist m inis
ter in 1968.
In 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. asked
Jackson and the Chicago-based Council of
Com m unity Organizations to help in a na
tional drive to organize black communities to
boycott discriminatory businesses. Jackson
was named head of the Chicago branch of
Operation Breadbasket which successfully
won its fight with nine Chicago area com
panies in its first five months of operation. In
1967, Jackson was named National Director
o f Operation Breadbasket Jackson also as
sisted in organizing the SCLC-sponsored
Poor Peoples’ Campaign to dramatize the
plight of the poor in Washington, D.C.
In 1971, Reverend Jackson organized
PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity)
and served as its national president until Oc
tober 1983, when he decided to seek the
presidential nomination.
Reverend Jackson’s position on the
im portant issues in the 1984 campaign is
consistent with his life-long com m itm ent to
justice. This is a summary of some of his
positions:
1. Defense (or Life): Reverend Jackson sup
ports a mutual and verifiable nuclear
freeze. He opposes the resumption of
nerve gas production, the MX missile, the
B -l bomber, the neturon bomb, and de
ployment of the Pershing and Cruise mis
siles in Western Europe.
2. Civil Rights: Reverend Jackson believes
that the Voting Rights Act needs to be
L E
enforced and the dual system of registra
tion (in Mississippi) as well as other forms
of political oppression imposed on blacks
and Hispanics be abolished. He supports
the Equal Rights Am endm ent Reverend
Jackson advocates, in the area of im m i
gration, one standard for admitting people
to our country, regardless of their color.
3. Full Employemnt: Reverend Jackson be
lieves that one of the most pressing
domestic issues is to provide employment
for all. He is opposed to President
Reagan’s theory that if we support the
rig h t the rest of the country will also
prosper.
4 . Women’s Issues: In addition to support
ing the Equal Rights Amendment,
Reverend Jackson believes that a woman
should make her own choice about abor
tion. He opposes the Hyatt Amendment,
which denies welfare funding for poor wo
men needing abortions.
5. Middle East: Reverend Jackson believes
that Israel must be allowed to exist within
secure and internationally recognized
borders. The Palestinians must have the
right to self-determination or a homeland.
Lebanon should not be partitioned.
6. Gay and Lesbian Rights: Reverend Jack-
son supports H.R. 2624, the bill which
would add sexual orientation to the list of
prohibited discriminations under the 1964
Civil Rights A ct He prefers this to the
Senate counterpart (S. 430) because he
believes the House bill is more compre
hensive than the Senate bill. Reverend
Jacksbn has promised to extend the man
date of agencies dealing with Civil Rights
to include cases of anti-gay and lesbian
bias, and to classify anti-gay and lesbian
violence as a civil rights violation. He has
promised to issue, within three months of
taking office, an executive order banning
discrim ination based on sexual orienta
tion in all areas of federal contractors and,
the military, the CIA, the National Security
Agency, and the FBI. Reverend Jackson is
also com m itting to completely overhaul
ing the nation’s im migration laws to elim i
nate anti-lesbian and gay bias. He is in
terested in promoting greater cooperation
between federal, state and local agencies
dealing with the AIDS crisis, and in obtain
ing more funding for lesbian and gay
health clinics and counseling centers. He
has already established a lesbian/gay is
sues desk in his national campaign office.
An issue of concern to many of us is the
Rainbow Coalition, as well as those not in the
coalition, has been Reverend Jackson’s
much publicized remarks about Jews.
Reverend Jackson has apologized for his
comments, has stated that he was wrong,
and has indicated his hope that the attention
drawn to the issue of anti-semitism can be a
starting point for a dialogue between blacks
and Jews on issues of concern to both.
On the local level, Portland’s Jackson for
President group has been recognized by the
national headquarters as the official Jackson
com m ittee in Oregon. The Portland com m it
tee is itself a Rainbow group with a Steering
Committee co-chaired by Alma Hill and Ron
Herndon. There are more women than men
on the steering committee, which is approxi
mately Yi black and Vi white. The steering
com m ittee includes Jews and lesbians.
Since it began, the steering committee has
dealt with issues concerning racism, sexism,
and anti-Semitism within the Portland
organization. Some members of the local
steering com m ittee are working on arrang
ing a meeting between progressive Jews and
blacks to discuss the concerns of both
groups.
One goal of the Oregon campaign is to
register voters. In order to vote for Jesse
Jackson in the Oregon primary, which will be
held May 15, you must be a registered Demo
cra t The local committee is also working on
getting delegates to the national convention.
Oregon has 50 delegates. In order to get one
delegate from District 3 (Ron Wyden’s dis
trict, which encompasses most of the east
side of Portland), 14% of the voters must vote
for Jesse Jackson. The local committee is
also working on trying to arrange an appear
ance by Reverend Jackson in Oregon.
Upcoming events for the local Jackson
campaign include breakfast and a gospel
m usic evening set in the beginning of May.
The more volunteers and support the Rain
bow Coalition has, the further it will go. For
more inform ation on the Jesse Jackson
campaign, come by the campaign head
quarters at 3606 N. Williams.
One of the major differences between the
Jackson campaign and that of other presi
dential campaigns is that Jackson’s Rainbow
Coalition has the potential to live on and con
tinue its work after this election. Although its
prim ary focus is now on the Jackson cam
paign, after the campaign is over, the
Rainbow Coalition will be deciding where to
go from here. You can be a part of that
C ynthia Cumfer is a Portland attorney. She
has recently been conducting ivorkshops
on racism.
____________ALICE D. ELLIS____________
ATTORNEY AT LAW
PA R K IN SO N , FONTANA, SCH UM AN N , JO N ES,
ELLIS and STEENSO N
415 N.W. 18th, PORTLAND, • 221-1792
NORTHWEST NEIGHBORHOOD LOCATION
GENERAL PRACTICE, INCLUDING:
INJURY ACCIDENTS • REAL ESTATE
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DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE
CRIMINAL DEFENSE • POLICE ABUSE
WE FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS
MEMBERS — NATIONAL LAWYER9GUILD
Just Out, March 30-April 13
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