CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Vice President Kamala Harris joined the Rainbow PUSH Coalition at the Apostolic Church of God in celebrating the life's work of Rev. Jesse Jackson on Sunday.
Harris said Jackson has dedicated his life to building a stronger nation by bringing together people of all backgrounds.
“Black Americans, Asian Americans, Latino Americans, farmers, LGBTQ+ Americans, Native Americans, women, labor, union members, people with disabilities, our young leaders and people around the world — that has been the work of Rev. Jesse Jackson,” Harris said.
Jackson was among the first to define the rainbow, Harris said. The vice president was in town specifically for the event, during which the Rainbow PUSH Coalition formally introduced Jackson’s successor: Rev. Dr. Frederick Haynes.
At Sunday’s event, Harris credited Jackson for pushing the values of democracy.
“‘Rev.’ has widened the path for generations that would follow, including President Barack Obama and me, as the first Black woman to serve as vice president of the United States,” she said.
At the core of Jackson's work, Harris said, is the belief that the diversity of the United States is not a weakness or an afterthought — but instead its greatest strength.
In a statement posted to the White House website, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden said it’s because of people like Jackson that the country “never fully walked away” from its promise that all Americans are “created equal in the image of God and deserve to be treated equally.”
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