A birthday present to Dr. King, featuring the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who was by the side of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during many of the historic civil rights marches which inspired the nation during the 1960’s, and who was by his side when the assassin’s bullet struck. Herbert Vetter, Director of Cambridge Forum, introduces this broadcast on the occasion of a 1985 memorial service in commemoration of Dr. King, on his birthday, at the Memorial Church, Harvard University. Here is Jesse Jackson speaking on “Eliminate Hunger: A birthday present fit for a king.”

Speakers

Jesse Jackson

Jesse Louis Jackson (né Burns; October 8, 1941 – February 17, 2026) was an American civil rights activist, politician, and ordained Baptist minister. A protégé of Martin Luther King Jr. and James Bevel during the civil rights movement, he became one of the most prominent civil rights leaders of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. From 1991 to 1997, he served as a shadow delegate and shadow senator for the District of Columbia.