Jesse Jackson: The Rainbow Coalition

In 1984, the Rev. Jesse Jackson had little hope of winning the Democratic Party presidential nomination. He was a Black man without the backing of the African American political establishment; a Civil Rights veteran in an era of corporate triumphalism and Top Gun patriotism.

But to the cries of “Run, Jesse, run," Jackson launched an improbable campaign for the White House. He assembled a 'Rainbow Coalition' of supporters who not only changed the face of the Democratic Party but changed the perception of who could be a national presidential candidate - making the winning campaign of Barack Obama possible three decades later.

WARNING: This episode contains racial epithets used to provide historical and journalistic context.

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