Days after the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. announced he was stepping down as president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Vice President Kamala Harris came to the South Side Sunday to deliver a tribute to the longtime civil rights leader while warning that conservative “extremists” sought to undermine his legacy.
Harris was among several Democratic politicians who gathered at the Apostolic Church of God in the Woodlawn neighborhood for Rainbow/PUSH’s annual conference to celebrate Jackson’s more than half-century of influence on civil rights and American politics. Harris called Jackson “one of America’s greatest patriots, someone who deeply believes in the promise of our country.”
But as Harris — the first woman, Black and South Asian to be elected vice president — celebrated Jackson for paving the way for herself as well other elected officials of color such as former President Barack Obama, she warned of a new era of conservative right-wing ideology.
“In this moment, across our country, we are witnessing hard-fought, hard-won freedoms under full-on attack by extremist so-called leaders. And these extremists have an agenda, an agenda to divide us as a nation, an agenda to attack the importance of diversity and equity and inclusion and the unity of the Rainbow Coalition,” Harris said in a 20-minute speech.
She referenced U.S. Supreme Court rulings eliminating federal oversight of states for the Voting Rights Act, affirmative action at universities, a federal right to abortion and efforts within the states to curb the availability of school books and teaching of race in U.S. history.
“State by state, across our nation, these extremists banned books in the year of our Lord 2023. They banned books and prevent the teaching of America’s full history. All the while they refused reasonable gun safety laws to keep our children safe,” she said.
“In this moment, let us all understand the history and the significance of Rev’s work and his approach. Just as Rev has shown, our ability to stand together is our strength,” she said, referring to Jackson by the colloquialism “Rev.” “Our ability to unify as many peoples is our strength. And the heroes of this moment will be those who bring us together in coalition.”
[ Rev. Jesse Jackson handing the reins of Rainbow/PUSH to Dallas pastor ]
Prior to Harris’ three-hour stop in Chicago, President Joe Biden issued a statement from the White House lauding Jackson.
“Whether on the campaign trail, on the march for equality, or in the room advocating for what is right and just, I’ve seen him as history will remember him: a man of God and of the people; determined, strategic, and unafraid of the work to redeem the soul of our nation,” Biden said.
Jackson, who eight years ago was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, was helped to his feet from his wheelchair to give a speech prior to Harris’ arrival in which he promised he would remain active.
“I am not retiring, I am pivoting,” Jackson promised, receiving laughter from a crowd of roughly 3,000. He spoke in a low voice as he led the congregation in a series of chants calling to end violence and protect youths.
“Everybody is somebody,” he said before delivering his signature motto: “Keep hope alive.”
Harris was introduced by Jackson’s son, first-term U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson, who said the vice president was a bulwark against conservative “tyrants.”
Notably missing from the crowd was Mayor Brandon Johnson. A mayoral spokesperson said Johnson spoke at the convention Saturday and will be featured alongside incoming Rainbow PUSH president the Rev. Frederick Haynes III on Tuesday.
Haynes, a senior pastor from Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, delivered the day’s opening sermon. Haynes quoted hip-hop favorites such as Kendrick Lamar and pledged to continue Jackson’s work.
“Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson the Senior, I stand here on his shoulders, because no one with sense would try to stand in his shoes,” he said. “His shoes are quite large, and so Rev. Jackson, thank you for where your shoes have taken us.”
Harris’ visit to Rainbow/PUSH was also part of a reelection strategy the White House has laid out in which she will attend “large scale events with key constituencies” across the country — Black, Latino and women voters — including two more trips to Chicago in the next few weeks.
[ Vice President Kamala Harris coming to Chicago three times in next month ]
The trips, including a July 24 return to Chicago to speak to the UnidosUS annual conference and back on Aug. 11 to attend an annual gathering of the Everytown for Gun Safety organization, are a subset to an administration-wide push to tout economic gains. Most notably, the administration is pushing job growth among Black and Latino workers — despite Biden’s recent lagging job approval numbers heading into the 2024 presidential contest.
Biden has branded his economic public relations effort “Bidenomics” and unveiled the push at an April 28 event in Chicago. Harris on Friday in Baltimore announced a $20 billion clean energy loan program as part of those efforts.
While she eschewed direct mention of the administration’s work in her speech, she used Biden’s definition of government stimulus under “Bidenomics” to describe the reverend’s coalition building as “not from the top down but from the bottom up and the outside in.”
In her Baltimore trip, Harris created some controversy for saying “reduce population” was part of a plan to combat climate change. The White House later clarified that she meant to say “reduce pollution.”
On Sunday, Harris mispronounced the word “apostolic” in thanking church leaders for hosting her. In her previous Chicago appearance in January, she referred to Cook County Board President Tony Preckwinkle as “Periwinkle.”
Chicago Tribune’s Darcel Rockett contributed.
