Congresswoman Lee Releases Statement on the Retirement of Rev. Jesse Jackson from Rainbow PUSH Coalition
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) released the following statement on the retirement of the Reverend Jesse Jackson from his role as president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a leading civil rights organization he founded in 1996 as a result of a merger between two groups he had previously started.
He will be replaced by the Reverend Frederick Douglass Haynes III, who has served as the senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas since 1983.
“From founding the influential Rainbow PUSH coalition to paving the way for Black voices in politics with his 1984 and 1988 presidential runs, the Reverend Jesse Jackson is one of the greatest champions for justice and equality this country has known. I have been blessed to know the Reverend for many years, and consider him a dear friend. His lifetime fighting for civil rights, peace, and economic and social justice taught us how to build a serious grassroots movement that cut across race and class. I am deeply grateful to the Reverend, and know his wisdom and guidance will continue to influence our community.
“I am pleased to congratulate another dear friend, the Reverend Frederick Haynes III, on his selection as Reverend Jacksons’ successor as president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Reverend Haynes and his wife Deborah have supported me for years with their wisdom and counsel. I know the African American community, communities of color, marginalized communities, the nation and the world will benefit immensely from his moral leadership and advocacy at the helm of Rainbow PUSH.”