University News

Prominent American Civil Rights Activist and Former Presidential Candidate Jesse Jackson to speak at Bishop’s University

January 23, 2012

SHERBROOKE, QC—Tickets are now available for Jesse Jackson’s much-anticipated Donald Lecture at Bishop’s University. Jackson’s lecture will take place during Black History Month, on Wednesday, February 15 at 7:00 pm in Centennial Theatre. Due to the large turnout expected, tickets with reserved seating will be sold.

Tickets cost $15, with all proceeds going directly to the Bishop’s University Refugee Sponsorship Fund. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Centennial Theatre Box Office at 819-822-9692.

Likely the most influential civil rights activist in the United States over the past 40 years, Reverend Jesse Jackson is well known as the founder of both Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) and the National Rainbow Coalition. These organizations, which merged in 1996, pursue civil rights and social justice initiatives while helping to increase political empowerment across religious, racial, gender and socio-economic lines.

“Jesse Jackson is a pivotal figure in the American civil rights movement, and a person who has demonstrated a tireless commitment to equality and inclusion.” said Bishop’s Principal Michael Goldbloom. “As a presidential candidate, his idea of a “rainbow coalition” of people from across racial and social lines helped to advance the discourse of civil rights, not only in America but around the world.”

Reverend Jackson advocated for national health care, a war on drugs, a dialogue with the Soviet Union and negotiations with the Middle East long before they were popular positions. South African apartheid and the fight for democracy in Haiti came to the forefront of the national conscience of the United States largely due to Reverend Jackson’s advocacy.

Having twice run for the democratic nomination for President of the United States, Jackson is a prominent political actor both domestically and internationally. He has acted a number of times as an international diplomat, securing the release of hostages in sensitive situations. In 1997 he was appointed by President Bill Clinton as Special Envoy of the President and Secretary of State for the Promotion of Democracy in Africa and was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the U.S.A.’s highest civilian honour.

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