Keep hope alive who said that

Rosa Parks -- the mother of the civil rights movement. I want to express my deep love and appreciation for the support my family has given me over these past months. They have endured pain, anxiety, threat, and fear. But they have been strengthened and made secure by our faith in God, in America, and in you. Your love has protected us and made us strong. To my wife Jackie, the foundation of our family; to our five children whom you met tonight; to my mother, Mrs.

Helen Jackson, who is present tonight; and to our grandmother, Mrs. Matilda Burns; to my brother Chuck and his family; to my mother-in-law, Mrs. Gertrude Brown, who just last month at age 61 graduated from Hampton Institute -- a marvelous achievement. I offer my appreciation to Mayor Andrew Young who has provided such gracious hospitality to all of us this week. Search WTTW:.

His voice is unmistakable. Thanks to our sponsors:. Author Interview. Jesse Jackson Sr. American History. Related Stories. The Last Word: Steven Rogers. Watch All Video Kids Video. We must do more than change presidents. We must change direction. Leadership must face the moral challenge of our day.

The nuclear war build-up is irrational. Strong leadership cannot desire to look tough and let that stand in the way of the pursuit of peace. Leadership must reverse the arms race. At least we should pledge no first use. Because first use begets first retaliation, and that's mutual annihilation. That's not a rational way out. No use at all. Let's think it out and not fight it out, because it's an unwinnable fight.

Why hold a card that you can never drop? Let's give peace a chance. We now have this marvelous opportunity to have a breakthrough with the Soviets. Last year two hundred thousand Americans visited the Soviet Union. There's a chance for joint ventures into space - not Star Wars and the war arms escalation but a space defense initiative. Let's build in the space together and demilitarize the heavens. There's a way out.

America, let us expand. When Mr. Reagan and Mr. Gorbachev met there was a big meeting. They represented together one-eighth of the human race. Seven-eights of the human race was locked out of that room. Most people in the world tonight - half are Asian, one-half of them are Chinese. There are twenty-two nations in the Middle East. There's Europe. Forty million Latin Americans next door to us; the Caribbean; Africa - a half-billion people. Most people in the world today are yellow or brown or black, non-Christian, poor, female, young and don't speak English in the real world.

This generation must offer leadership to the real world. That's the real world. We must use basic principles - support international law. We stand the most to gain from it. Support human rights - we believe in that. Support self-determination - we're built on that. Support economic development - you know it's right. Be consistent and gain our moral authority in the world.

I challenge you tonight, my friends, let's be bigger and better as a nation and as a party. We have basic challenges - freedom in South Africa. We've already agreed as Democrats to declare South Africa to be a terrorist state. But don't just stop there.

Get South Africa out of Angola. Free Namibia. Support the frontline states. We must have a new, humane, human rights-consistent policy in Africa. I'm often asked, "Jesse, why do you take on these tough issues? They're not very political. We can't win that way. It may be political and never be right. Fannie Lou Hamer didn't have the most votes in Atlantic City, but her principles have outlasted every delegate who voted to lock her out.

Rosa Parks did not have the most votes, but she was morally right. King didn't have the most votes about the Vietnam War, but he was morally right. If we are principled first, our politics will fall in place. I want to go out where the big ships float.

Out on the deep where the great ones are. And should my frail craft prove too slight for waves that sweep those billows o'er, I'd rather go down in the stirring fight than drown to death at the sheltered shore. And then for our children. Young America, hold your head high now. We can win. We must not lose you to drugs and violence, premature pregnancy, suicide, cynicism, pessimism and despair. Wherever you are tonight, I challenge you to hope and to dream. Don't submerge your dreams.

Exercise, above all else, even on drugs, dream of the day you are drug free. Even in the gutter, dream of the day that you will be up on your feet again. You must never stop dreaming. Face reality, yes, but don't stop with the way things are. Dream of things as they ought to be.

Face pain, but love, hope, faith and dreams will help you rise above the pain. Use hope and imagination as weapons of survival and progress, but you keep on dreaming, young America. Dream of peace. Peace is rational and reasonable. War is irrationable in this age and unwinnable.

Dream of teachers who teach for life and not for a living. Dream of doctors who are concerned more about public health than private wealth.

Dream of lawyers more concerned about justice than a judgeship. Dream of preachers who are concerned more about prophecy than profiteering. Dream on the high road with sound values.

And then America, as we go forth to September, October, November and then beyond, America must never surrender to a high moral challenge. Do not surrender to drugs. The best drug policy is a "no first use.

Never surrender, young America. Go forward. America must never surrender to malnutrition. We can feed the hungry and clothe the naked. We must never surrender. We must go forward. We must never surrender to illiteracy. Invest in our children. Never surrender; and go forward. We must never surrender to inequality.

Women cannot compromise ERA or comparable worth. Women are making sixty cents on the dollar to what a man makes. Women cannot buy bread cheaper. Women cannot buy milk cheaper. Women deserve to get paid for the work that you do. It's right! And it's fair. Don't surrender, my friends. Those who have AIDS tonight, you deserve our compassion. Even with AIDS you must not surrender. In your wheelchairs. I see you sitting here tonight in those wheelchairs. I've stayed with you.

I've reached out to you across our nation and don't you give up. I know it's tough sometimes. People look down on you. It took you a little more effort to get here tonight. And no one should look down on you, but sometimes mean people do. The only justification we have for looking down on someone is that we're going to stop and pick them up. But even in your wheelchairs, don't you give up. We cannot forget fifty years ago when our backs were against the wall - Roosevelt was in a wheelchair.

I would rather have Roosevelt in a wheelchair than Reagan and Bush on a horse. Don't surrender and don't give up! Why can I challenge you this way? You be on television. I see you with the big people. You don't understand my situation.

I understand. You see me on TV, but you don't know the me that makes me, me. They wonder, "Why does Jesse run? They don't see the house I'm running from. I have a story. I wasn't always on television. Writers were not always outside my door. When I was born late one afternoon, October 8th, in Greenville, South Carolina, no writers asked my mother her name. Nobody chose to write down our address.

My mama was not supposed to make it, and I was not supposed to make it. You see, I was born to a teen-age mother who was born to a teenage mother. I know abandonment, and people being mean to you and saying you're nothing and nobody and can never be anything. Jesse Jackson is my third name.

I'm adopted. When I had no name, my grandmother gave me her name. My name was Jesse Burns 'til I was twelve. So I wouldn't have a blank space, she gave me a name to hold me over. I understand when nobody knows your name. I understand when you have no name. I wasn't born in the hospital. Mama didn't have insurance.

I was born in the bed at home. I really do understand. Born in a three-room house, bathroom in the backyard, slop jar by the bed, no hot and cold running water.

Wallpaper used for decoration? For a windbreaker. I'm a working person's person. That's why I understand you whether you're black or white. I understand work. I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I had a shovel programmed for my hand. My mother, a working woman.

So many of the days she went to work early, with runs in her stockings. She knew better, but she wore runs in her stockings so that my brother and I could have matching socks and not be laughed at at school.