Special to Sun Reporter Newspaper
by Jackie Wright
Published October 25, 2012
Reverend Jesse Jackson, Carol H. Williams, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Ambassador Andrew Young
at October 19, 2012 Celebration for Jackson commemorating his nomination for the Noble Peace Prize and his birthday.
Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr.
and Ambassador Andrew Young,
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Aides Meet in the Bay Area and Inspire
"Coincidence is God's way of being anonymous, " according to former Ambassador to the UN under the Carter Administration, Andrew Young. Civil Rights' foot soldiers, now icons of the movement, Reverend Jesse Jackson and Ambassador Andrew Young were in the Bay Area last weekend. As the anonymous hand of God would have it, U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee and her co-host Carol H. Williams of Carol H. Williams Advertising, of "Strong Enough For A Man But Made for A Woman" Secret Deodorant ad fame, celebrated Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. in Emeryville on Friday, October 19th.
With Ambassador Young being scheduled to speak at the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center's Barbara Lee Elihu Harris Lecture Series, Saturday, October 20th, organizers were able to arrange a last minute arrival of Young shortly after his plane landed to meet with his former colleague Jackson for the celebration of his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize and his birthday celebration.
The Friday event hosted by Congresswoman Lee and Williams at the Carol H. Williams Advertising offices, was a prelude to Jackson's, now 71, annual Rainbow P.U.S.H. Fund raiser and birthday celebration in Los Angeles. Over 100 people were on hand for the event that was organized just a few days before.
"It was a rare moment to see such living historical Civil Rights figures in the same room at the same time," said Reverend Dr. Joseph Bryant, San Francisco Bay Area Rainbow P.U.S.H. Director and Senior Pastor of Calvary Hill Community Church in San Francisco's Bayview. "The iconic photo of Dr. King's aides on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis as he lay slain is an indication of how their lives were so intertwined. To see Reverend Jackson with Rainbow P.U.S.H. and Ambassador Young with the Andrew Young Foundation, meeting here in the Bay Area as they continue to 'fight the good fight' was inspiring."
Jackson talked
about the importance of the upcoming race and the need to be vigilant as the
voting rights of poor people and people of color are being marginalized. Speaking of the upcoming presidential
race, " It's a Civil War battle in many ways. It's a Fight for the soul of our nation. There is a shameless attempt to steal
the election." Jackson
cautioned Californians to get out the vote and to pay close attention to impact
of Propositions 32 and 30. For a
short clip of his comments visit Youtube:
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIBwcpxd6w8&feature=youtu.be).
Young, now 80, spoke to the Jackson gatherers and reemphasized Jackson's comments about the importance of protecting voter's rights and showing up for the presidential election. He continued that theme the following day as he met privately with Bay Area clergy and as over 1,000 people attended his lecture later Saturday evening at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Oakland.
Roy Wilson, Executive Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center which co-produced the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series with Merritt College, said "Bringing the longtime Civil Rights lions together again was heart warming and inspirational. They inspired us to keep up the good work they started so many years ago and it is wonderful to see their passion has not diminished with time."
Onyx Pharmaceuticals, 360 Media, East Bay Community Foundation, East Bay Regional Park District, Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, The International Brother Hood of Electrical Workers, The Institute for Community Leadership, Marriott Oakland City Center, and Pandora Internet Radio were sponsors of Ambassador Young's Lecture.
"The importance of diversity and the strength of Oakland and the Bay Area are enhanced when we come together to be reminded of the value of nonviolence and the importance of voting rights, just a few weeks before voting on whether to re-elect this country's first African American president," said Elihu Harris, former Mayor of Oakland. "The accomplishments of the Civil Rights Era, not only helped Americans of color, it helped everyone in our country move forward to become better and stronger. Ambassador reminded us of where we have been and pointed to how we can move forward."
The Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center will be making the video of
Ambassador Young's lecture available in the near future. Visit www.mlkfreedomcenter.org for details
and more information about the center.
Related News
The power of media impacts the progress or digression of the world. Media Alliance, a media accountability group based in the San Francisco Bay Area, working to keep media "fair and balanced"recently posted a letter of thanks written by Wright Enterprises, Jackie Wright. As Wright thanked Independent Media for coverage of a historic lecture of Ambassador Andrew Young for The Martin Luther King Freedom Center, she pointed out the fact major corporate media did not cover the event and why that is a problem