Echo News TV LLC Opinion Special Report: The Betrayal of Rev. Jesse Jackson: How Allies Became Accomplices in the Erosion of Black Progress
- Karen Brittingham-Edmond
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
19 February 2026
By Echo News TV LLC Social Justice Desk
This article exposes the outrageous betrayal of Rev. Jesse Jackson by those very groups who benefited from his decades of sacrifice and leadership. It is infuriating to witness once-allied minorities now complicit in the erosion of hard-won Black progress, siding with interests that threaten to erase the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement. By means of allegiance to White Nationalism, Neo Nazi, and the Confederate Christian Coalition, teachings that come directly from the pit of hell, in this writer's opinion.
Monmouth County, NJ - The arc of American history bends toward justice only when those who have suffered and fought for freedom stand united. Yet, in a stunning and painful turn, subpopulations once uplifted by Rev. Jesse Jackson's courageous leadership have become silent, and sometimes active, participants in the undoing of his legacy. This betrayal by insourced Hispanics, Italians, Asians, and other minorities--who benefited directly from the sacrifices and victories of the Civil Rights Movement--has left Black America reeling, as gains hard-won over centuries are being eroded under the weight of gentrification, political realignment, and outright complicity with White nationalist interests. Jesse Jackson helps Puerto Rico
Rev. Jesse Jackson: A Pillar of Progress
Rev. Jesse Jackson's record is unimpeachable. From his early days as a close confidant of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.--present in Memphis at the very moment of King's assassination--Jackson has been the beating heart of the Civil Rights Movement. He organized youth, led economic justice campaigns, and, through SCLC's Operation Breadbasket, forced major corporations to open doors for Black workers and professionals in Chicago and beyond.
His founding of PUSH in 1971 marked a new era of economic and educational empowerment, and his creation of the Rainbow Coalition in 1984--later merged with PUSH to form Rainbow PUSH--united the marginalized: Black, Latino, poor White, LGBTQ, and labor voices joined in common cause. Jackson's two historic presidential campaigns shattered ceilings, won primaries, and expanded the electorate, proving that multiracial coalitions could upend the status quo. As the U.S. shadow senator for Washington, D.C., his advocacy for voting rights and statehood was relentless. How the Rev. Jesse Jackson changed history with his humanitarian focus
Internationally, Jackson broke political taboos by meeting with Palestinian leaders, mainstreaming Arab American political participation, and globalizing the Civil Rights Movement, connecting U.S. justice with international human rights. He negotiated hostages' release from hostile regimes and traveled the world as a champion for peace, democracy, and minority rights. Domestically, he fought for healthcare, safe communities, and fair corporate practices, while championing youth empowerment and educational equity. American civil rights movement | Definition, Protests, Activists, & Facts | Britannica
The Fruits of Betrayal: When Allies Turned Their Backs
Yet, the very groups lifted by Jackson's tireless advocacy have increasingly participated in the marginalization of Black America. Hispanics, Italians, Asians, and Middle Eastern populations--many of whom were once excluded from the American dream--have leveraged the legal and social victories secured by Black struggle to build prosperity. But when Black communities faced existential threats--homelessness, voter suppression, gentrification, and the systematic dismantling of civil rights protections--these subpopulations too often looked away, or worse, sided with White nationalist interests.
The evidence is clear: Gentrification has displaced Black majorities from historic neighborhoods, diluting political power and accelerating homelessness. Economic opportunities, once pried open for all minorities by Jackson's Operation Breadbasket and Rainbow PUSH, have been seized by new arrivals, even as Black unemployment, underemployment, and exclusion from business loans persist. Many of these groups have voted with or aligned themselves with political forces--most notably the administrations of Donald Trump--that have actively rolled back civil rights, targeted affirmative action, and rewarded compliance with jobs and business funding that should have gone to Black Americans.
This betrayal is not accidental. It is a direct result of alliances with organizations dedicated to White nationalist ideology: The Evangelical "Sanctuary Movement," The Christian Coalition, The Heritage Foundation, and the new breed of techno-nationalists led by figures like Elon Musk--whose family's wealth was built in apartheid South Africa, the very system Rev. Jackson stood against. These alliances, fueled by privilege and anti-Black caste logic, are nothing short of a modern-day treason against the movement that enabled their American success.
The Cost: A Civil Rights Regression
What does this mean for the state of Black America? Civil service jobs--over 300,000--lost to insourced populations. Political clout diminished as gentrification and demographic shifts fractured historic Black voting blocs. The promise of reparations, quality education, fair housing, and business equity, long championed by Jackson, diverted instead to communities who now stand shoulder to shoulder with those who would erase the Black American legacy from the nation's conscience. Donald Trump’s Mafia Connections: Decades Later, Is He Still Linked to the Mob? - Newsweek
Worst of all, these same populations expect continued patronage from Black consumers, even as they maintain private, hateful caste beliefs and refuse to raise their voices in the face of anti-Black violence and dispossession. This is not mere disappointment--it is a profound betrayal, a violation of the trust built over decades of shared struggle.
Conclusion: Honoring Jackson Means Telling the Truth
Rev. Jesse Jackson's accomplishments are not just chapters in a textbook--they are the foundation upon which so many now stand. To betray him and the Black community is to betray the very spirit of American progress. The evidence is overwhelming, and the consequences are dire. Only by confronting this truth can there be hope for a new, truly united coalition for justice.
References:
Leadership within the SCLC and Operation Breadbasket
Founding of PUSH and Rainbow Coalition
Historic Presidential campaigns
International diplomacy and global civil rights advocacy
Decades of domestic advocacy for voting rights, healthcare, and economic justice
Let the record show: The debt remains unpaid, and the betrayal remembered.
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