Rainbow Coalition
The Rainbow Coalition is a multicultural initiative aimed at uniting marginalized racial and ethnic groups within the United States political landscape, founded by Reverend Jesse Jackson in 1984. This coalition emerged in response to historical inequalities in political participation, particularly among African Americans who faced significant barriers such as poll taxes and intimidation. The movement sought to create a united front that included diverse groups like liberal integrationists, socialists, trade unionists, feminists, LGBTQIA+ advocates, and various racial minorities during the 1984 presidential campaign. Its platform emphasized grassroots engagement to increase voter registration and elevate underrepresented voices in the electoral process.
Over the years, the coalition faced internal challenges, including shifts toward more centrist positions and leadership disputes that led to discontent among its activist base. Significant changes in political dynamics during the 1990s, particularly with the rise of Bill Clinton, further diminished the Rainbow Coalition’s influence, prompting many members to pursue alternative affiliations. In 1996, the coalition merged with Operation PUSH, an organization focused on improving economic conditions for African Americans, resulting in the formation of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Jesse Jackson continued to lead these efforts until he stepped back in 2023 due to health issues, marking the end of a significant chapter in his activism and leadership.
Rainbow Coalition
The Rainbow Coalition, a multicultural effort to unify racial and ethnic groups that have been marginalized in the U.S. political process, was founded in 1984 under the leadership of the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
Historically, racial and ethnic groups in the United States have experienced differing levels of participation in formal political institutions, leading to substantial inequalities in the distribution of political power among various groups. African Americans, for example, were historically excluded from participation in political processes through such legal and extralegal means as poll taxes, intimidation, and gerrymandering.
What political power African Americans did acquire was often symbolic, achieved through appointments of Black leaders to high-profile positions. This tradition led to the development of a Black elite that accepted the role of junior partner in achieving racial integration. Most of this leadership came from minority group members in nonelected positions and from extrapolitical movements such as strikes, boycotts, and acts of civil disobedience.
In the early 1980s, Jackson organized a united front of liberal integrationists, socialists, trade unionists, feminists, LGBTQIA+ groups, and racial minority constituencies to work together in the 1984 presidential campaign. The Rainbow Coalition platform was based on four premises: that Jackson had a base among the “Black masses,” that he was an important figure in southern Black politics, that the campaign would stimulate registration of Black voters, and that Jackson’s presidential candidacy would create “coattail” effects that would propel other outsiders into the electoral process. None of these premises was supported by subsequent events.
To appeal to a broad range of voters, Jackson moved the left-leaning Rainbow platform toward the political center for the time of the 1988 presidential campaign. Jackson purged the coalition of its activists by blocking democratic elections of local Rainbow leadership and by placing gag orders on radical dissenters. In 1989, Jackson asserted the right to appoint all coalition leaders at the congressional district rank. In response, thousands of activists left the coalition, and several splinter groups were organized.
In the 1990s, Democratic leaders, including Bill Clinton, acted to undermine Jackson’s leadership role in the African American community, severely diminishing the power of the Rainbow Coalition. Clinton’s 1992 presidential victory was followed by the political rise of Ron Brown, one of Jackson’s protégés, who had become the chair of the Democratic National Committee and was appointed Secretary of Commerce. Such developments led many members to leave the Rainbow Coalition and to adhere to Clinton’s policies. In 1996, the Rainbow Coalition merged with Operation PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity), an organization formed by Jackson in 1971 to improve economic conditions in African American communities. The organization was subsequently renamed the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Jessee Jackson was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2017, which left him in a wheelchair. Due to his health, he stepped away from PUSH in 2023 after five decades of leadership.
Bibliography
“Brief History.” Rainbow PUSH Coalition, www.rainbowpush.org/brief-history. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.
Corley, Cheryl. "After More than Five Decades, Rev. Jesse Jackson Steps Down at Rainbow-Push Coalition." NPR, 17 July 2023, www.npr.org/2023/07/17/1188183475/after-more-than-five-decades-rev-jesse-jackson-steps-down-at-rainbow-push-coalit. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.
Edwards, Lee. “Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rainbow PUSH Coalition Stresses Importance of Early Voting.” Chicago Weekend, 29 Oct. 2014, p. 6.
"How Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition Championed Diversity." History, 3 Jan. 2024, www.history.com/news/jesse-jackson-rainbow-coalition. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.
Moor, Natalie Y. “The New Fight In Civil Rights.” Ebony, vol. 69, no. 12, 2014, p. 130.
Williams, Jakobi. From the Bullet to the Ballot: The Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party and Racial Coalition Politics in Chicago. U of North Carolina P, 2013.