In the 1984 presidential campaign, Jackson received more than three million votes in the Democratic Party’ s presidential selection process. He doubled that total four years later when he made another unsuccessful bid. That year, Jackson won 92 percent of the Black vote, and about 12 percent of the White vote. He won 13 primaries and four caucuses in 1988.
When Jackson finished first in Michigan’ s caucus, the Los Angeles Times called it“ a stunning victory.” The win made Jackson the top voter getter at that point in the 1988 race for the Democratic Party’ s presidential nomination. Newsweek magazine, in an April 11, 1988, cover story on Jackson, ran profiles on potential members of his presidential cabinet.
Jackson’ s strong showing in the 1988 campaign, which ultimately was won by Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, convinced a lot of people that the idea of a Black president was not a pipe dream. And it laid the groundwork for the election of Barack Obama 20 years later. appeal. I believe I can help the party of( Abraham) Lincoln move once again close to the spirit of Lincoln.”
During a 35-year military career, Powell, who also served two years as President Ronald Reagan’ s National Security Advisor, was highly respected among people of all races and ethnicities in this country.
He was especially well liked among Blacks. And why not? Powell was a political moderate who acknowledged the sacrifices other Blacks made to open opportunities for him. In recounting how he overcame the racist hurdles he faced, Powell told the Bowie graduation ceremony’ s audience that he had help.
“ I didn’ t do it alone,” he said.“ I climbed on the backs of those who came before me, and those who broke the trail. The buffalo soldiers. The Tuskegee Airmen, and the other Black military pioneers. I climbed on the backs of men and women who knew that they served a country that was not yet prepared to serve them. But they did it anyway because they had faith in what the future held for them and for this country.
“ I benefitted from the sacrifices of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesse( Jackson) and Rosa( Parks) and Andrew( Young) and so many, many others.” Powell told his overwhelmingly Black audience. And then Powell said this:
“ The struggle is not yet over … there are those who say we can stop now. America is a colorblind society. But it isn’ t yet. There are those who say we have a level playing field, but we don’ t yet. There are those who say that all you need is to climb up on your own bootstrap, but there are too many Americans who don’ t have boots, much less bootstraps … There are those who rail against affirmative action, they rail against preferences
On May 28, 1996, 59-year-old Colin Powell, a retired four-star general, stood on the stage of Bowie State University’ s spring commencement ceremony to receive an honorary doctorate degree from the historically Black higher education institution.
A year earlier, Powell, the first Black and youngest person to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff( 1989-1993), silenced speculation about his political ambition when he announced he would not run for president in 1996. Instead, Powell said he would“ try to assist the( Republican) party in broadening its
Rep. Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress
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