Labor unions remember Rev. Jesse Jackson as ‘noble warrior’

President Terrance Melvin Tribute to Reverend Jesse Jackson 

Full Article at Amsterdamnews

https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2026/02/19/labor-unions-remember-rev-jesse-jackson-as-noble-warrior/

“The passing of Rev. Jesse Jackson gives heavenly wings to a noble warrior, a man who bent the arc of justice with his stout heart and bold leadership on behalf of people without privilege or power,” said Coalition of Black Unionists (CBTU) President Terrence Melvin. “Rev. Jackson was family to CBTU. We worked hard in his presidential runs in 1984 and 1988, when he jolted the political establishment and ignited millions of Black voters and those without a voice and little hope. One of Jackson’s most famous images shows him standing with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., on the balcony of Memphis’ Lorraine Motel in 1968. Jackson was serving as an aide to King. The two had come to the city to support 1,300 Black sanitation workers who were striking for union recognition, higher wages, and safer working conditions. King was assassinated during that campaign.

“Some may view unions only as ‘strategic allies.’ But Rev. Jackson understood union people from the heart. He was on the ground in Memphis with Dr. King and our beloved late CBTU President Emeritus William ‘Bill’ Lucy,” said Melvin. “He walked countless picket lines with striking workers. He rescued hostages. He marched, sometimes sacrificing his health.

“For sure, the dream of Barack Obama’s historic presidency would not have come true without the groundwork laid by Shirley Chisholm and Rev. Jackson,” Melvin continued. “History should not forget that.”

President Terrence Melvin, excerpt from Amsterdamnews, "Labor Unions Remember Rev Jesse Jackson as a noble warrior."