Jesse Jackson news stories on Newser

Sanford March Compares Trayvon to Jesus Christ

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 13:20:00 CDT

Leaders from the NAACP and other groups led a massive crowd through the streets of Sanford, Florida, today to demand the arrest of George Zimmerman—and deny reports of an economic boycott, the Orlando Sentinel reports. "We want an arrest, shot in the chest," chanted the crowd, which MSNBC estimated...

Jesse Jackson Slaps Tea Party at MLK Tribute

Matt Cantor — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 06:05:00 CDT

Jesse Jackson lashed out at the Tea Party at a Martin Luther King Jr. memorial event, comparing its ideology to old states’ rights arguments against integration. The movement “is not new,” he said at the crowded luncheon in Washington. “It's just a new name for an old game." In an...

Cavs Owner Acts Like LeBron Is 'Runaway Slave: Jackson

Kate Schwartz — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:10:42 CDT

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert's open message to LeBron James certainly wasn't a love letter, but was it hate mail? Jesse Jackson seems to think so. Gilbert "speaks as an owner of LeBron and not the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers," Jackson said in a press release issued yesterday. "His feelings...

Dear Mel: Get Help

Evann Gastaldo — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 10:27:00 CDT

Mel Gibson’s latest crazy rant comes as no surprise to those who have followed his offscreen woes, but this time the legendarily short-fused actor has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he needs help. “The actor who was so gifted at playing bitter, violent men on screen is...

Meet Al Sharpton, Obama Booster, White House Insider

Harry Kimball — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:35:00 CDT

The Rev. Al Sharpton used to be one of the prime—and most belligerent—practitioners of the “protest politics” black activists used to get the ear of politicians, but times have changed, and he is now officially an Obama administration insider. The Rev. meets often at the White House, he...

Civil Rights Leaders Talk Jobs With Obama

Kevin Spak — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:03:39 CST

President Obama met with some of the country’s top civil rights leaders last night, laying out his plans to improve the economic conditions that have sent black unemployment soaring to 16.5%. Al Sharpton, NAACP head Benjamin Jealous, and National Urban League chief Marc Morial all braved the snow for...

MSNBC Host to Jesse Jackson: 'Hi, Al Sharpton'

Kevin Spak — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:24:13 CDT

In a stunningly awkward clip going viral as we speak, MSNBC host Contessa Brewer accidentally introduces guest Jesse Jackson as, “the Reverend Al Sharpton.” When Jackson gives the camera a priceless you-gotta-be-kidding-me glare and corrects her, Brewer hastily blames the script and apologizes, saying “I know who you are Rev....

Dazed Astor Didn't Recognize Jesse Jackson: Witness

Ambreen Ali — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:42:01 CDT

A decade before her death, Brooke Astor was so out of it that she couldn’t recognize Jesse Jackson, a prosecution witness testified today in the fraud trial against Astor’s son, the New York Daily News reports. Anthony Marshall’s defense rides on his mother’s mental state, with the prosecution charging that...

Jackson Hopes to Win Journo's Release

Jess Kilby — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 08:30:09 CDT

Jesse Jackson has filed for an Iranian visa and is hoping to make a diplomatic trip as a “free agent” to argue for the release of Roxana Saberi, the Malaysia Star reports. The veteran civil rights activist says he was Saberi's first interview subject when she was a journalism student...