As coronavirus fears continue to plague the city, the epidemic is now even having an impact on the city’s upcoming events.
On Wednesday, March 4, as the AmNews was going to press, representatives of the Rev. Jesse Jackson told the AmNews that Jackson is postponing his 23rd Annual Rainbow PUSH Wall Street Project Economic Summit that was set to take place March 10-12 at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel.
Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. announced that he and Rainbow PUSH Coalition have been closely monitoring and evaluating the expanding impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on organizational and travel operations. The Wall Street Project Economic Summit draws hundreds of delegates and attendees from various countries on the continent of Africa and in Europe. “Amid this global public health emergency, we are committed to protecting our delegates and attendees from heightened health risks associated with public gatherings and international travel,” Rev. Jackson noted, “We can’t keep COVID-19 from becoming a global pandemic, but the more we can do to protect ourselves, slow the spread of the disease, the less severe the impact will be.”
He added, “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the delay and appreciate everyone’s understanding and support.” The organization hopes to reschedule the Summit for early June 2020.
Jackson recently visited the AmNews offices in Harlem where he was the guest on the New York Amsterdam News Podcast and discussed several issues including the 2020 election and economic equality. During the 30-minute interview, the 78-year-old advocated the importance of Black participation in the political process, especially among young people.
“We are encoding all high school seniors who are 18, or who will be 18 by November, to register to vote now,” he said. “When we got the right to vote in ’65, it changed the character of American politics. When I was growing up the gap was a race gap. Now, it’s the wealth gap.”
According to non-profit organization Prosperity Now, the racial wealth gap is so wide that it will take 228 years for an African American family to amass the average amount of wealth of a white family. Additional research shows that real gross domestic product (GDP) could be four to six percent higher if the wealth gap is closed, or a $2,900 to $4,300 increase in GDP per capita.
Currently, African American homeownership is 29 points lower than the rate of white homeownership. In addition, African American families have less money saved for retirement.
“When we the people determine we want to stop economic exploitation, that’s when the movement starts from the bottom up. We pay more for less, live on the stress and don’t live as long. We must close the gap between the haves and the have nots.”
Speaking on the 2020 election, Jackson recalled the difference in the state of the nation from when he ran for U.S. president in the 1980s and now. He said that African Americans are not still fighting for the right to vote but the right for rules.
“Our minds changed about what was possible. I talked to Barack Obama one time and he told me, ‘The first time I ran, I didn’t see it.’ If we planted the seed at that time to turn him to the possibility, there’s a victory. When we change our minds, the whole world changes. We are hitting a new plateau of political involvement. We must demand of ourselves that we use the right to vote.”
Reflecting on the recent passings of Kobe Bryant, B. Smith and actress Ja’net DuBois, Jackson said each of them had a profound impact on the Black community and its image.
“B. had her own restaurant in Washington and now everybody is wanting soul food. Now she owned her style and her taste. We miss B. already,” he said. “Ja’net Dubois. She was able to act and keep her dignity at the same time. Kobe, like all great athletes, he hit our consciousness in a very special way.”
Late last year, Jackson released his latest book “Keeping Hope Alive: Sermons and Speeches of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.” The book features decades of Jackson’s speeches from around the world including the speeches he delivered at the Democratic Party conventions of 1984 and 1988.
“After all these years, what remains for me, is God is a source of mystery and wonder. Scripture holds up,” Jackson writes. “The righteous are not forsaken. We’ve come a long way since slavery time. But we’re not finished yet. Running for freedom is a long distance race.”
