United States: Rev. Jesse Jackson leaves his civil rights group

He is one of the leading figures of the civil rights movement in the United States. The Reverend Jesse Jackson is retiring. The announcement was made by his son and comes in the wake of numerous health problems.

Rev. Jesse Jackson reacting to a speech by President Joe Biden in Atlanta, Georgia, January 2022. AFP - JIM WATSON

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With our correspondent in New York, Loubna Anaki

The Rev. Jesse Jackson has dedicated his entire life to civil rights. He was barely 18 years old when he started alongside Martin Luther King, from whom he says he learned everything. He was present when Luther King was assassinated in 1968.

In the early 1970s, Jesse Jackson founded his own organization, Operation Push, now Push Rainbow. She campaigns for minority rights, including the right to vote, and has also financially supported many disadvantaged black families, or funded the education of thousands of children.

During his career, Rev. Jackson was also a two-time presidential candidate.

In 2017, he announced that he had Parkinson's and in recent years, he had chained health problems and hospitalizations, even if he had wanted to continue his commitments and his fight for justice.

The announcement of Rev. Jackson's retirement is expected to be made official this weekend at Push Rainbow's annual convention.

" READ ALSO On the road of civil rights in the South of the United States

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