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Politics-LiveI am Rev. Jesse Jackson. AMA. (self.IAmA)

submitted by RevJesseJackson

I am a Baptist minister and civil rights leader, and founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Check out this recent Mother Jones profile about my efforts in Silicon Valley, where I’ve been working for more than a year to boost the representation of women and minorities at tech companies. Also, I am just back from Charleston, the scene of the most traumatic killings since my former boss and mentor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Here’s my latest column. We have work to do.

Victoria will be assisting me over the phone today.

Okay, let’s do this. AMA.

https://twitter.com/RevJJackson/status/616267728521854976

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[–]I_amWEB 6 points7 points  (4 children)

Why do you think many African Americans dislike Dr. Ben Carson?

[–]RevJesseJackson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, he has taken some positions, it seems, contrary to our perceived interests. He's not taken strong positions on the need for having equal and fair access to voting, which is so critical. He assumes that problem is solved. It's not resolved. Once section 4 was removed from the Voting Rights Act, we had a radical setback. He's not been a very visible voice.

He's not been as vocal as he should've been.

I have a rather high regard for him, because I feel that whether we agree or disagree, he's a brilliant surgeon. Many blacks don't like him, but many blacks do. And he's a very treasured person in our community, really.

[–]tallerthanunicorngod -2 points-1 points  (1 child)

Well his blatant insults and bigotry towards the gay community probably don't help matters.

[–]SensibleMadness 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Many African Americans are deeply religious and socially conservative. Negativity toward gay rights wouldn't necessarily sway them all that much.

[–]Aegent 4 points5 points  (2 children)

Hi there, Reverend. What are your thoughts on decriminalizing drug use? Furthermore, interested in your thoughts on the criminal justice system - specifically, what are some of the most pressing issues and how can we tackle them?

[–]RevJesseJackson[S] -1 points0 points  (1 child)

Well, the criminalization of drug use, of crack and marijuana, has had the impact of jail populations exploding on non-violent drug use. It's driven a whole industry of locking people up, race profiling and locking people up. And because it's become so expensive, there's an attempt now to reduce it. But with little towns, that have a little shopping center - they don't want to give up their jails, even if people are innocent, they NEED the jail - which is a corrupt choice, it seems to me.

The Criminal Justice system - let me give you a case in South Carolina. In a prison, those prisoners are working for 80 cents an hour. And so police benefit from it, social workers, judges, the whole system is built around mass arrests of black people.

These companies are actually ON the stock exchange. They make money. It's like a jail hotel, or a homeless shelter. In Chicago, there are 10,000 inmates in the Cook County Facility, the most of any one place in the country, plus black and brown, and according to the sheriff, about 40% of them are mental health cases that need care more than jailing. So spending on that further runs up the costs.

So the system is in disarray, and highly corrupted, and very much affected by race.

I think decriminalizing will help affect the outcome. Because many of those in jail would get out. And then others who are going in, would not go in. The increased use of ankle monitor bracelets, when necessary. But for non-violent drug use, they are looking for other ways. Because it's a very harmful, inhumane process.

[–]tape_tissue 0 points1 point  (0 children)

TIL Jesse Jackson wants to decriminalize the use of crack.

[–]huhaskldasdpo 75 points76 points x2 (27 children)

Mr. Jackson,

You are an immoral, hate-filled race baiter that has figured out how to manipulate the political system for your own gain. You've personally set back race relations year after year and continue to do more harm than good. Extorting money from companies to line your pockets and threatening to bus in protestors and create a fake racial controversy if they don’t agree to pay you off is NOT civil rights activism. My question is simple; how is your relationship with the illegitimate child you fathered in 1998 while cheating on your wife? Bonus question: How much money have you extorted from various people and companies over the years of practicing your shakedown scheme? Do you think Al Capone would be jealous of your business model if he were still alive?

[–]tallerthanunicorngod 7 points8 points  (2 children)

I always wonder if Victoria just skips over this type of response, I can't imagine she reads it out loud to them.

[–]lula2488 5 points6 points  (0 children)

/u/chooter asks the hard questions. It doesn't mean the person will give an answer

[–]Eternally65 4 points5 points  (0 children)

She's said she reads them out. But they don't have to answer if they don't want to.

[–]Aegent 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Well, he did say to ask him anything. Back to you, Jackson.

[–]ManBearPaul 20 points21 points  (6 children)

I feel like this single-handedly may make Mr. Jackson think "oh shit, this may have not been such a good idea."

[–]BigCliffowski 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's the thought that goes through my mind every time I go to reddit. Only right he gets it too.

[–]masshamacide 7 points8 points  (2 children)

Well... This got interesting...

[–]PantsHasPockets 2 points3 points  (1 child)

That was really fast.

I wonder how long till mods remove it?

[–]yertles -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Not long I imagine.

[–]arky527 2 points3 points  (0 children)

reverend rekt

[–]VictoryIsPreparation 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thread started 15 minutes ago and you already slayed the dragon!

Savage.

[–]BigCliffowski -1 points0 points  (0 children)

wtfpwn'd

[–]tbulls123 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ho was it like working with MLK?

[–]FreezingInEdmonton 3 points4 points  (0 children)

What should happen to someone like Tawana Brawley who falsely claimed to be a victim of white racism, rape, assault and was never tried for her crimes and never had her assets seized or wages garnished to compensate her victims decades after her destructive lies?

[–]commandrix 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What are some things that the average African-American can do to help reduce racial tensions in his area?

[–]ajlposh[🍰] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What was your experience of hosting Saturday Night Live like?

[–]orangejulius 4 points5 points  (0 children)

SCOTUS will likely revisit affirmative action. Sandra Day O'Connor wrote in Grutter v. Bollinger that the issue should be revisted in 25 years - that was in 2003.

Do you think the timeline in Bollinger was fair? If SCOTUS revists the issue early - do you think affirmative action has served it's purpose and is no longer a valid tool? If it's no longer constitutional what should replace that tool?

[–]ZAZBZCZDZE 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Were justified in referring to Jews as "Hymies" and New York City as "Hymietown"?

[–]pinealsight 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Rev. Jackson,

thanks for your time,

What is your opinion regarding the growing number of Police murders in the US and the recent church attacks?

[–]RevJesseJackson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, there is an ugly backlash, it seems, against our civil rights progress over the last 50 years.

These killings have taken place for a long time, but without witnesses, we cannot prove the case.

With jurors prejudiced towards the police, they can file false reports. The increasing amount of cameras are showing these killings, and jurors are seeing this. And that is the biggest difference. We would not have known that Walter Scott was killed. He did not drop a gun. Or the cases in New York, or Rodney King in California.

So the exposure of police lies is discrediting reports of many police.

We NEED police to protect and serve.

But not to lie and steal.

And about 7 church burnings have taken place. Historically, church has been for us a rallying place, a place for people to come together. So to burn the church is to burn the center of the community. The church leaders whose voices were the voices heard most clearly, so they have face assassination. There was a range of church burnings back in the mid-90s when Bill Clinton was president, and the FBI helped deter it.

And then this recent weeks - clearly it's a pattern. The investigation is saying they don't know whether it's arson, or lightning, or hate crime, or terror - it's obvious these are acts of terror and intimidation. And it is what it is, and I'd like to think the Governor has done us proud during this season of pain. She has attended all of the 9 funerals. She has taken a strong position about pulling down the Confederate flag. And I hope she will take the strong position to stop terrorists from burning these churches. I think she has used her platform well to project a state of civility in South Carolina.

What I'm concerned about is the silence among white churches in the face of obvious acts of terror against black churches, and black people.

[–]BullshitAnswer 6 points7 points  (7 children)

What ratio of peanut butter to jelly (jam?) do you like your peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?

[–]RevJesseJackson[S] 3 points4 points  (6 children)

I would rather have peanut butter and jam separately. I like both of them, just not necessarily together.

[–]Ryder10 23 points24 points  (2 children)

So separate but equal?

[–]Black_Suit_Matty 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Holy fuck, that's hilarious.

[–]CRFyou -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'm gonna get the national guard to supervise the spreading of jam on his peanut butter sandwich... There is no need to segregate those 2 foods.

Studies have shown that they get along just fine.

[–]Obie_Trice_Kenobi 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Guys that was a pretty good one

[–]masshamacide 5 points6 points  (1 child)

wants to end segregation, but segregates peanut butter and jam.

outrageous.

[–]BullshitAnswer -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I can already read the buzzfeed headline "Jesse Jacksons fights to end segregation, you'll never believe what he likes to keep separate!"

[–]Ruwaidah 7 points8 points  (2 children)

Have you felt regretful for rushing to judgement after condemning the "perpetrators" of the Duke lacrosse rape scandal during 2006-07?

Do you and Al Sharpton still support Crystal Mangum's rape allegations?

[–]Hagiographic 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Didn't she get arrested for murder like 2 years ago, or assault?

[–]Eternally65 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Convicted. 14 years for second degree murder. Just FYI.

[–]jeebus23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How do you go about changing peoples mind when it comes to race? What do you say to people who see the violence and say things like "well, if he didn't want to get shot in the back, he shouldn't have ran." instead of addressing the problem?

[–]pighalf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How is the relationship between you and Rev Al Sharpton like?

[–]Jilly_Willy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What kind of music do you listen to?

[–]avatar_of_internet 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hi Rev. Jackson!

It's probably not amiss to say that you're a very controversial figure, especially with Reddit's core demographic. What would you say is the largest incorrect assumption people make about you, and what would you like to say to clear that up?

[–]Frajer 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Reverend Jackson Dr King has become almost mythical, what was he like to work with?

[–]BroadAndPattison 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Why did you think this AMA would be a good idea?

[–]princessdoggybowl 2 points3 points  (0 children)

what is your view on abortion?

[–][deleted]  (1 child)

[deleted]

    [–]rbraunz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    Rev. Jackson, I was curious what your thoughts are of Kendrick Lamar? As a millennial, I feel he's proving to be a key figure in our generation's civil rights discussion.

    [–]DayOldTurkeySandwich 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    Do you still want to cut Obama's nuts off?

    [–]spencerlance 5 points6 points  (0 children)

    Do you enjoy manipulating companies so they can fund your hate campaign?

    [–]OhHelloPlease 2 points3 points  (3 children)

    Did you ever watch the South Park episode "With Apologies to Jesse Jackson"? And if so, what was your opinion of it?

    [–]Sir_Awkward_Moose 3 points4 points  (3 children)

    Also, I am just back from Charleston, the scene of the most traumatic killings since my former boss and mentor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.

    Seems a little bit inflated, no? Why would you say that this killing was more traumatic than say Sandy Hook?

    [–]RevJesseJackson[S] -2 points-1 points  (2 children)

    I suppose it was traumatic because it was in the church. And the fact it was in the church, and innocent people from 27 to 87, it was just traumatizing. One of the most traumatic killings and outbursts since Dr. King's assassination in 1968. Dr. King was a man of great moral fiber, fighting for the right to vote. And so he was loved for what he did. I might add that when he was killed, he was a very hated man. When he was killed in Memphis, the killing was a hit, and because he meant so much to us, between 1965 and those years, it was just traumatic. And I remember what came out of that was a renewed consciousness. Some of it in civil rights laws.

    The Confederacy was never just about racism. It was about trying to secede from the country. It wanted to print its own currency. It wanted to have its own economic engine, with cotton as its main crop, alliances with Britain and France. And this is a huge deal.

    So to end segregation, end poverty in this country, we needed to end segregation in the South which was used as a way to spread hatred and fear and violence.

    So this Confederate flag must come down.

    [–]masshamacide 3 points4 points  (0 children)

    Don't you believe having groups such as the NAACP and other minority driven organizations still allow for segregation?

    [–]Sir_Awkward_Moose 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Are you against the 1st Amendment? Surely the efforts being spent on removing a flag can be better used to different causes, such as the homicide rates between blacks, the high school graduation rates of our inner city schools, the number of minority teenage mothers and other minority centric issues that you seem to ignore. Why do you feel like focusing on the flag is more important than these issues?

    [–]MuppetOSRS 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Are you really the ambassador of black people like south park told me?

    [–]Accolades4000 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    What do you think about Native American rights and injustices toward them? You're a powerful force for bringing attention to people who are otherwise overlooked.

    [–]Black_Suit_Matty 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    I think anyone with half a brain knows you would never want racial equality, because then you'd have to get a real fucking job. Don't you feel bad about telling the young black man he isn't as good as the white man, so you can keep taking in cash?

    [–]RAND0611 2 points3 points  (2 children)

    Do you think that the recent high profile police shooting incidents are the result of systematic racism or just an increase in the media's reporting of these incidents?

    [–]foxedendpapers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    What are your thoughts on intersectionality, and how do you see it applying to your mission?

    Particularly curious about your perspective on the Charleston shooters' comment about blacks "raping our women" and, separately, how to address the injustices against black women, black transgendered individuals, and black homosexuals when black Americans themselves often have hostile views toward those minorities.

    [–]HarkinsonMother Jones 0 points1 point  (2 children)

    Civil rights issues have really resurfaced in recent months, with the Black Lives Matter protests, the shooting in Charleston, the gay marriage ruling. But you continue, among other things, to focus on Silicon Valley. Why do you think that work is important?

    [–]RevJesseJackson[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

    Well, when it's real dark, wherever there's light, you gravitate towards the light.

    When you're in the hole, you're looking for a rope.

    So the jobs, the development, are in Silicon Valley.

    You know, one of every 5 African-American jobs is in the public sector. The private sector has locked us out. Many black professionals, whether they're churches, labor, their business came from other blacks.

    So it's time to challenge that sector to open up.

    For example, Silicon businesses - making available their records to the Equal Opportunity - we bought shares of stock in companies. What we knew was that the top companies board members - there were 56 white women, 3 black members, and 1 latino.

    Almost zero. Employment there was around 2% at max, almost no investment in start-up companies. And that's in the tech part.

    But in the non-tech part - lawyers, advertising agencies, marketing and the services - we found in that area strong patterns of exclusion, and denial. So we bought shares of stock because we indexed so heavily as consumers in those categories.

    And there's a law. That law is on equal employment opportunity. And contract compliance. And the federal government should enforce those laws, state and local governments should enforce those laws.

    So we've gone to 10 or so board meetings now, bringing up questions as shareholders - why are there no blacks on your board, or latinos? And they have no good answer why there are so few in the C-suites. And there was no good answers.

    The first answer is "Well, we can't find them." And they were looking in the wrong places, and 40% of black engineers are coming from historically black colleges, schools in the south that teach blacks engineering. But they have not been recruiting there.

    They want more STEM educated youth? Those schools teach that. As a matter of fact, the Rainbow Force is organizing programs to help kids.

    And so we find that there's more of an opportunity deficit than a talent deficit.

    When we went to Facebook's meeting, for example - at the end of the day you do business with people you know, and like. So we can't get the investment we need in startup companies, at the seed level. So that's what we're working on now.

    And I might add that Intel put up millions for startups. We're working through how to make that process work. Another portion will be to go to reaching out to black colleges. They want to make their workforces look like America by 2020.

    So our goals, our timetable is to make all those businesses look like America by 2020.

    [–]RevJesseJackson[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

    David Drummond , incorporator of Google, I must say, he's secretary of their board. And John Thompson, who's a graduate of Florida A&M, has been chairman of the board of Microsoft since Bill Gates. So there's evidence that we can serve at every level, so it's about opening up opportunities.

    And it's a chance for them to grow. Because black and brown communities - what do we represent? Market, money, talent ,location, and growth. And when they ignore those markets, they mis-market those things. So it's to their advantage to include. And I think that's why you see this rumbling now, trying to reconstruct those relationships.

    [–]skoomaed -1 points0 points  (1 child)

    Do you think that marijuana prohibition is a civil rights issue? What do you think should be our country's policy towards marijuana?

    [–]RevJesseJackson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    Well, marijuana should not be used as jailbait, to expand the jail population. Some people use marijuana for medical reasons, some people use marijuana for recreational reasons. It should never be used as a weapon to justify arresting people en masse.

    [–]Andyk123 0 points1 point  (2 children)

    What were the most inspirational/memorable words MLK ever said to you? Any interesting stories you have to share about him that the general public might not be aware of?

    [–]RevJesseJackson[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

    You know, the most memorable expression was "Do not allowpeople to bring them down to your level. Maintain your moral high ground. But in doing so, you must choose to get ahead, and not get even."

    That was one expression of his.

    I also remember his last birthday, how he spent it. In January 1960, he convened a group of us - people from the Deep South, Alabama, some Native Americans, some Latino alliances - but he said that morning, he came and he had breakfast, around 8 o'clock with his staff, he went to the basement of his church, and he spent his own last birthday at home with the family, convening as a coalition of activists, to go to Washington, to fight to end poverty, to fight to end the war. And I guess the other was, the last time before he went to Memphis and was killed. We had a meeting, and we had a call that the Sanitation Workers in Memphis were being denied. So we did not see that as inconsistent philosophically, though it was not on our schedule. He convened us, late on Friday night, and said "I wanna have an emergency staff meeting tomorrow morning." Members around the country were resistant in coming, but he called and we came. And that morning, he said to his wife, and my wife was there as well, "I feel very well. Because I'm under attack by the press, by other civil rights organizations. Because they don't understand the connection between the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement. Maybe i should just quit. We've begun to transform the South. We have the right to vote. Maybe I should just begin to seek to become president of college, or write."

    And I remember Andrew Young said "Dr. King, don't talk that way."

    And he then said "I thought there was so much division in our ranks that i would consider fasting to the point of death. And around my beside, everyone would agree that we needed to end poverty. And then snapped out of it, and said "We need to go to Washington, and turn a minus into a plus. We can't go backwards."

    So I've thought about the 3 rules of Jesus. One of them was "let this cup pass from me." And then as he prayed, disciples slept, and then he said "Not my will, but thine be done."

    Dr. King had those same 3 basic moves. And his determination really stand out in my mind.

    [–]Andyk123 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Thank you very much for the response! Very enlightening and uplifting!

    [–]Donghanger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Why do you tell people you are the emporer of all black people?

    [–]CaptainSnotRocket 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Hi Jesse. Why Doesn't Al Sharpton pay his taxes?

    I know you and him are good buddies, so I was hoping you could give me a legit answer.

    [–]evil_midget 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Is your son out of prison yet?

    [–]ytaima 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Rev. Jackson in the Mother Jones article you mentioned your nephew and that he did not get any appropriate job offers in Silicon though he got a master's in mechanical engineering. Stanford is very highly regarded and it is strange he didn't get any job offers. Would you elaborate?

    [–][deleted]  (2 children)

    [deleted]

      [–]mellowmott 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      Which do you think is a bigger issue: racism or sexism?

      [–]Balderdash_Cam -1 points0 points  (0 children)

      It was reported by others that were present that you dipped your hands in Martin Luther King Jr's blood, then smeared it on yourself before talking to the press and that you also claimed to be present when he was assassinated, when in fact you were not. Were these statements accurate?

      [–]Enlightened-Youth -1 points0 points  (0 children)

      White supremacist web sites have come under srutiny in the aftermath of the Charleston shooting. Aside from dedicated racist sites, the SPLC has determined that racist rhetoric is highly proliferative on Reddit. Do you consider online racism to be another reflection of more widespread preexisting racism or a radicalizing force in itself driving acts of violence and intimidation, and how do you recommend combating this trend?