Washington, DC – More than 40 years ago, United States civil rights leader Jesse Jackson called on the Democratic Party to open its doors and welcome “the desperate, the damned, the disinherited, the disrespected and the despised”.This included Arab Americans and Palestinian rights supporters, who have suffered from decades of racism, demonisation and marginalisation.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listAdvocates in those communities say that Jackson, who died on Tuesday at the age of 84, helped elevate their voices over his decades-long career.“I don’t think there’s a way to tell the Arab Americans’ political empowerment story without understanding the path that Reverend Jackson created for us,” said Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute (AAI).In 1984, Jackson appointed Arab American activist James Zogby as one of his deputy campaign managers as he mounted a bid for the presidency. Zogby would later found the AAI.Jackson’s campaign also actively courted Arab Americans and amplified calls for Palestinian self-determination in an era when unquestioning support for Israel was the default position in US politics.Berry said Jackson always rejected pressure to disassociate from Arab Americans who view Palestine as a focal issue.“He understood that the fight for justice was one that had to be done when it was both hard and easy. Our country has lost a giant,” she told Al Jazeera.The party platformJackson launched a second campaign for president in 1988, winning 13 states, including Michigan and much of the South, in the Democratic primary. Advertisement He ultimately lost the nomination to then-Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. Stil …
