[QODLink]
One on One
Jesse Jackson
Meet one of America's leading civil rights activists.
Last Modified: 12 Sep 2009 08:15 GMT


Watch part two

His larger-than-life personality and energy has made him one of the most prominent political figures in the US, but it was the experiences of his early years that made Jesse Jackson the tough survivor he is today.

Born illegitimately to a poor teenage student, he soon learned to fight his corner.

His activism started when he was at college and by 1965 Jackson had joined Dr Martin Luther King Jr in fighting for the rights of African-Americans at a pivotal time in the country's history.

He was beside King when he was assassinated in 1968 and went on to become a leading figure in the civil rights movement.

Often embracing controversy to achieve results, Jackson has negotiated the release of hostages on the international stage and was a prominent contender in the 1984 and 1988 US presidential races.

In recent years, he has focused on his RainbowPUSH Coalition, a religious and social development organisation he founded, while continuing to speak out for civil and human rights in the US and internationally.
This episode of One on One can be seen from Saturday, September 12, at the following times GMT: Saturday: 0130, 1630; Sunday: 0430; Monday: 0300, 1230.
Source:
Al Jazeera
Topics in this article
People
Country
Featured on Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera's exclusive publishing of a key Guantanamo prison military document lays bare the brutality of force-feeding.
Former military official says poverty and anger in indigenous communities mean conditions for an "insurgency" are ripe.
A four-part series that gives a rare insight into the country on the move, with history in tow.
Series on the Palestinian 'catastrophe' of 1948 that led to dispossession and conflict that still endures.
Featured
Syria: The War Within
Two years since the start of the uprising, rebels and Assad's forces remain locked in conflict.
China Rising
A four-part series that gives a rare insight into the country on the move, with history in tow.
Crisis in Bangladesh
Extensive coverage of war crimes tribunals and controversial calls for blasphemy laws.
Al-Nakba
Series on the Palestinian 'catastrophe' of 1948 that led to dispossession and conflict that still endures.
Korea Tensions
Al Jazeera looks at the escalation of military threats between N Korea and geopolitical rivals.
join our mailing list