Overview

"Reading Jackson, absorbing the clarity of his moral vision, should be required. It’s fuel for the miles yet to be run. “Keeping Hope Alive” is the place to begin."--Chicago Tribune Review

“I’ve been with Jesse since he was 18. Now he’s 78 and his writing and his preaching have only continued to get deeper and better. His words have inspired countless thousands. It makes me happy to see this collection of speeches and sermons by my friend and brother.”—Ambassador Andrew Young

"This collection further cements Reverend Jackson’s enduring role as one of the nation’s most prophetic preachers and visionaries. His tireless advocacy continues to inspire a generation, myself included, who have tried to implement his lessons into my own social justice ministry.”—Rev. Al Sharpton, President & Founder, NAN and host of Politics Nation on MSNBC

“Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.—my friend, ‘the Rev’—has spoken out across the decades, across the generations, across all the barriers to justice and healing that we erect.  We have not always listened.  Listen now!”—Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, former General Secretary, National Council of Churches

“Rev. Jackson is one of the world’s most consequential public theologians and his oratory merits ongoing study and discussion. At a time of international unrest, we would be well served by revisiting his prescriptions for repairing our fragmented world and forging ahead together to build a global beloved community.”—Robert M. Franklin, President Emeritus, Morehouse College

“Rev. Jackson is one of the world’s most dynamic icons of civil and human rights. In this masterpiece he blends global equity, financial literacy, and religious inspiration.”—Tricia “CK” Hoffler, Esq., President-Elect, National Bar Association

“With the searing insight of a prophetic seer Rev. Jackson speaks truth to power while arming the powerless with liberating truth. These messages and speeches will remind marginalized ‘nobodies’ that they are ‘somebody’ and inspire all of us to ‘Keep Hope Alive!’”—Frederick Douglass Haynes, III, Sr Pastor, Friendship West Baptist Church, Dallas, TX

“Rev. Jackson’s oratorical style, his theological prowess, and his powerful presence rooted in Black Folks Religion have deeply moved me over the decades. This collection of his sermons will move you as well, to keep hope alive.”—The Rev. Jacqueline J. Lewis, Senior Minister of Middle Collegiate Church in Manhattan

“Rev. Jackson’s words have inspired in the hearts of generations of people the will to fight to make ideals become reality. These words of hope have inspired our progress and fueled our ongoing struggle for human rights and justice, even as we keep hope alive.”—Rev. S. Todd Yeary, JD, PhD, Senior Pastor, Douglas Memorial Community Church, Baltimore, MD

“This is a remarkable collection of the profound insights and life-altering oratory of one of the most remarkable figures in American history.”—Obery Hendricks, PhD, Columbia University, author, The Politics of Jesus

 “In this book we have a summary of what embodied spirituality and activist political theology for peace, civil rights, social, and economic justice for all peoples looks like.”—Rev. Edwin David Aponte, PhD, Executive Director, Louisville Institute 

“A dynamic example of preaching as an embodied practice—in one sense transitory by virtue of its rootedness in oral traditioning yet bearing fruit viable beyond its time through the actions it inspires for justice.”—Carmen Nanko-Fernández, Catholic Theological Union   

"Rev. Jesse Jackson’s name invokes the ongoing struggle for justice and advocacy for civil rights, and this collection of his sermons and speeches is representation of a black gospel message, from a global figure, that is firmly grounded in an interpretation of the way of Jesus as the way of Justice."—Reggie L. Williams, McCormick Theological Seminary

“This books captures the spirit of a man and his spirit will inspire the next generation of social activists and preachers. This is a must read for anyone who desires to connect to the roots of social justice.”--Rev. Ralph Basui Watkins, Senior Pastor, The Historic Wheat Street Baptist Church of Atlanta

“A great gift to those of us called to speak truth to power in the public square. . . . Rev. Jesse Jackson’s life-long emphasis—in word and deed—on solidarity, justice, and the dignity of all persons is a model for anyone who seeks to follow Jesus.”—Ginger Gaines-Cirelli, Senior Pastor, Foundry United Methodist Church

“Keeping Hope Alive demonstrates how much of what Rev. Jackson has said and done blazed a path for us today. His words still offer a pathway for the country to be otherwise, especially in these dark times when democracy, battered and bruised, cowers in the corner.”—Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., Princeton University, from his Afterword  

For over fifty years, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., a Baptist minister, activist, and organizer, has worked for civil rights, peace, and the promise of true democracy. From his years in the Civil Rights movement, his work as founder of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, and as an international ambassador for human rights, he has left an indelible mark on the history of our time.

These speeches and sermons, delivered both to the downtrodden and the powerful, from Senegal and Bangkok to Chicago include the famous speeches he delivered at the Democratic Party conventions of 1984 and 1988 following his historic campaigns for the presidential nomination.

In a moving epilogue, Rev. Jackson reflects, “After all these years, what remains for me, is God is a source of mystery and wonder. Scripture holds up. The righteous are not forsaken. We’ve come a long way since slavery time. But we’re not finished yet. Running for freedom is a long distance race.”

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., is Founder and President of Rainbow PUSH Coalition. A noted champion of human rights, he was a Democratic presidential candidate in 1984 and 1988, and served as shadow U.S. Senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He lives in Chicago.

Editor Grace Ji-Sun Kim, who was born in Seoul, Korea is professor of theology at Earlham College, Richmond, IN. Host of the Madang podcast on Christianity, religion, and culture, she is author of many books, including Invisible: Theology and the Experience of Asian American Women (Fortress Press).

Cover photo: Courtesy of Rainbow/PUSH Coalition 

Cover design: Ponie Sheehan

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