Jesse Jackson to speak at UI event

MOSCOW - Legendary civil rights activist and former presidential candidate the Rev. Jesse Jackson is headed to the University of Idaho to help commemorate Black History Month.

Jackson will deliver an address, "Keep Hope Alive," at 7:15 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Kibbie Dome, according to the university. The event is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a question-and-answer session.

Before his address, Jackson will meet privately with 25 student leaders. Mark Edwards, UI assistant to the president for diversity, equity and community, said the students will be able to tap Jackson's experience to inform their own efforts to foster a more diverse community.

"He models for us the vigor, passion, dedication and hard work necessary to achieve tangible change so that social justice is a reality and not simply a philosophy or aspiration," Edwards said in a statement. "Each year, we offer many student diversity related programs, and one question is commonly asked, 'What can we do to get involved, to make our university community and world a better place?' What better person to ask than Rev. Jackson."

In his 40 years in public life, Jackson has played a role in movements for empowerment, peace, civil rights, gender equality, and economic and social justice. He is the president and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a multiracial, multi-

issue, international membership organization working for social change.

Edwards said it is an honor to bring Jackson to campus.

"As the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. said, 'Leadership cannot just go along to get along. Leadership must meet the moral challenge of the day,' " he said. "We strive to meet the moral challenge of protecting human rights and providing access and inclusion for all on a daily basis as a central commitment and symbol of who we are as a community."

According to a news release from the university, Black History Month is rooted in higher education. It was founded in 1920 at Harvard University by Carter G. Woodson as a way to celebrate African American history and literature.

Woodson chose the month of February in honor of the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Fredrick Douglass. Originally called Negro History Week, the celebration was expanded in the 1970s to an entire month and the name was changed to Black History Month.

Jackson's speaking fee of $17,500 will be paid by Edwards' office, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and a portion of the student activity fee, according to the university.

Jackson's full biography is available online at http://rainbowpush.org/pages/jackson_bio.

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Mills may be contacted at

jmills@lmtribune.com or (208) 883-0564.