Civil rights activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died at 84 on Tuesday, may be best known as a political organizing powerhouse, but he began his career by increasing workplace diversity in the business world.
In 1966 Martin Luther King Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) handpicked a 24-year-old Jackson to lead a campaign to increase economic opportunity for Black Americans in Chicago. The cause remained a strong through line in his six-decade-long career.
A heavyweight with few equals today, Jackson commanded the respect of business leaders and used his influence to champion both the dignity of everyday workers and sweeping reforms across industries. From small enterprises to Wall Street giants like Goldman Sachs, he broadened economic opportunity for minorities and women nationwide.
Operation Breadbasket
In the 1960s, the SCLC launched Operation Breadbasket, a campaign to desegregate jobs and increase employment opportunities for Black Americans.
