OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
LORI E. LIGHTFOOT
October 14. 2021
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL
or mi- city or Chicago
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith, together with Aldermen Rodriguez Sanchez, Taylor, Madden, Brookins. Ervin, Scott, Austin, Sawyer, Smith, Tunney, Sposato, Lopez, Cappleman, Reilly, King, Martin, Waguespack, Hairston, Dowell, Mitts, La Spata, Ramirez Rosa, Harris, Villegas, Vasquez, Moore, Nugent, Cardenas, Rodriguez, Silverstein, Garza, Burke, Taliaferro, Mitchell and City Clerk Valencia, a resolution congratulating civil rights icon Reverend Jesse Jackson on the occasion of his 801'1 birthday.
Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Very truly yours,
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago wish to extend our congratulations and warmest birthday wishes to the Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr., one of America's foremost civil rights, religious, and political figures, in celebration of his eightieth birthday; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Jackson was born on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina. Reverend Jackson enrolled in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and later transferred to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, a historically black university in Greensboro, North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, While attending North Carolina A&T, Reverend Jackson became involved in local civil rights activism, leading protests and sit-ins to desegregate theaters and restaurants in Greensboro; and
WHEREAS, A passionate civil servant, Reverend Jackson met the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1965 and joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Reverend Jackson led the Chicago chapter of SCLC's economic arm, Operation Breadbasket, before becoming its National Director in 1967; and
WHEREAS, Called to serve, Reverend Jackson became an ordained minister in 1968, and he was awarded a Master of Divinity Degree from the Chicago Theological Seminary in 2000; and
WHEREAS, In 1971, Reverend Jackson established the People United to Save Humanity, colloquially known as Operation PUSH, to improve the economic conditions of Black communities across the United States. In 1984, Reverend Jackson founded the National Rainbow Coalition, a social justice organization, which later merged with Operation PUSH to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Jackson mounted two groundbreaking campaigns for the Democratic nomination for President in 1984 and 1988. Reverend Jackson's campaign registered millions of new voters and he won historic victories during the primaries; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Jackson is a recognized international leader and diplomat and has extended his work to the global stage, including in South Africa during apartheid; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Jackson married his college sweetheart, Jacqueline, in 1963 and together they raised five children: Santita Jackson, Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., Jonathan Luther Jackson, Yusef DuBois Jackson, and Jacqueline Jackson, Jr.; and
WHEREAS, The innumerable contributions Reverend Jackson has made during his lifetime have left an indelible impact in the United States and globally. Even now, Reverend Jackson continues his important work advocating for the passage of voting rights legislation; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, gathered this fourteenth day of October, 2021, do hereby congratulate the Reverend Jesse Jackson on the occasion of his "eightieth birthday and extend our heartfelt best wishes for his continued good health, happiness, and success; and