The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died Tuesday at the age of 84, was known not just as a tireless advocate for the Civil Rights Movement but as one of its most dynamic orators. He spoke tirelessly for the poor and marginalized on issues from voting rights to housing. Jackson also gave numerous speeches as the leader of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and as a presidential candidate in the 1980s. Later, he did the same for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Here are some notable and defining words from Jackson.
Though not written by Jackson, this poem became synonymous with him. He turned a verse into a rallying cry at rallies in the 1960s and even on a 1972 episode of “Sesame Street.” The poem goes:
“I may be poor, / But I am Somebody. / I may be young, / But I am Somebody. / I may be on welfare, / But I am Somebody.”
With his PUSH Excel education initiative, Jackson gave a speech in Chicago in the 1970s on equity in education and voting rights.
“Senior high school graduation must be seen as a passage of rites into adulthood. On that graduation day or night, we must put a diploma in one hand symbolizing knowledge and wisdom, and put a voter registration card in that other hand symbolizing power and responsibility.”
“Both tears and sweat are salty, but they render a different result. Tears will get you sympathy; sweat will get you change.”
Jackson told the Democratic National Convention in 1984 during his first run for president:
“America is not like a blanket — one piece of unbroken cloth, the same color, the same texture, the same size. America is more like a quilt: many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven and held together by a common thread.”
When he nearly captured the Democratic nomination in 1988, he told the party convention:
“You must not surrender. You may or may not get there, but just know that you’re qualified and you hold on and hold out. We must never surrender. America will get better and better. Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive. On tomorrow night and beyond, keep hope alive.”
To students at Kansas State University in November 1993, he said:
“At this stage we are on the defensive as a struggle, as a humane struggle. Fear: it is pushing hope back. Cowardice is pushing courage back. Death is taking the joy of life. Dope is outdistancing hope. Escapism is outdistancing embrace. When youth come alive, you have the energy, the strength, the need, and the moral authority to make America better and the whole world more secure.”
In Virginia, at the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge in September 2008, he said of the new span:
“It must lead to more futures and fewer young funerals. It must embrace Dr. King’s last dream, a poor people’s campaign, where all could come together with a job, income, education, and health care. A bridge that leads us from racial battleground to economic common ground. It leads us to healing.”
To students at the Cambridge Union Society in England in December 2013, he said:
“Common ground leads to coalition, to cooperation, to reconciliation and redemption, and to higher moral and economic ground. ... I want to say to you young people especially — keep reaching beyond your grasp, keep dreaming beyond your circumstances, keep dreaming of a new Europe. When young people move, the world changes.”.”
FILE - Jesse Jackson, with his wife Jacqueline, concedes defeat in the Illinois Democratic primary on March 16, 1988, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Lisa Genesen, File)
FILE - Democratic Presidential candidates Jesse Jackson and his wife Jackie hold their hands aloft during a rally at Chicago's Arie Crown theatre, March 13, 1988. (AP Photo/Lisa Genesen, File)
FILE - Democratic presidential primary candidate Jesse Jackson speaks to a group of his supporters at a rally held at a Baptist Church in Dayton, Ohio, April 14, 1984. (AP Photo/Rob Burns, File)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — World Cup host Vancouver is at risk of losing its Major League Soccer club to another city.
MLS said late Monday it “will evaluate all options” for the future of the Vancouver Whitecaps, including moving out of the city. The club was put on sale 16 months ago by an ownership group that includes former NBA star Steve Nash.
Uncertainty around the team is fueled by limited revenue options and a short-term lease at BC Place stadium that will host seven World Cup games in June and July, including Canada playing Qatar and Switzerland.
“It’s reaching a critical point,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said Tuesday during a meeting with the Associated Press Sports Editors in New York.
Garber called the situation at BC Place untenable, citing strict schedule restrictions from the government entity that owns and operates the building and an inability to add premium seating.
British Columbia’s government said Tuesday it is working with the Whitecaps to help the team lower costs and generate more revenue at BC Place — but it won’t be buying the team to prevent it from moving cities.
Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s minister of jobs and economic growth, said the team is now using the stadium at no cost, and any breaks that the team received this year could be extended for another year.
The Whitecaps and the provincial government — which owns BC Place through the provincial Crown corporation PavCo — signed a one-year lease earlier this year, which annually returns to the club about $1 million to 1.5 million that the province makes from hosting.
Kahlon, a longtime season-ticket holder, says the province has also helped the team generate more revenue from concession sales and advertising, adding that the province is open to exploring other revenue sources.
“If there are some genuine things that they need done to keep the team here, we want to see that happen,” he said.
Garber confirmed reports that Las Vegas could be an option if Vancouver relocates, saying a group from Las Vegas had submitted an application for an MLS team. He expressed hope the Whitecaps could find a way to remain in Vancouver and said expansion to Las Vegas could also be a possibility, but no decisions had been made. Las Vegas was not necessarily the only city being discussed.
FIFA vice president Victor Montagliani, who is from Vancouver, said last year losing an MLS club “on the back of the World Cup would be a capital crime, in my opinion.”
Fans holding “Save The Caps” placards protested on Saturday at the team’s last home game ahead of the stadium being taken over for the World Cup. The attendance was more than 27,000.
In a statement late Monday, the Whitecaps said it had “serious conversations with more than 100 parties and, to date, no viable offer has emerged that would keep the club here.”
“The club has faced well-documented structural challenges around stadium economics, venue access, and revenue limitations that have made it difficult to attract buyers committed to keeping the team in Vancouver."
A franchise fee that cost tens of millions of dollars to enter MLS 15 years ago is now likely worth hundreds of millions.
A team that features German great Thomas Müller reached the MLS Cup final last year, losing against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami 3-1.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Vancouver Whitecaps fans hold signs before an MLS soccer match against the Colorado Rapids in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Whitecaps' Cheikh Sabaly (7) celebrates after his goal against the Colorado Rapids with Thomas Muller (13) and Tate Johnson (28) during the first half of an MLS soccer match in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Whitecaps fans hold signs before an MLS soccer match against the Colorado Rapids in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)
