75. Unfinished Business: Racial Justice After Jesse Jackson

Intersectionality Matters!

Intersectionality Matters with Kimberlé Crenshaw

News

4.7 • 814 Ratings

🗓️ 21 February 2026

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This episode explores the life and legacy of Jesse Jackson—from organizing alongside Martin Luther King Jr. to building the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and reshaping the American electorate through his historic presidential campaigns. Challenging the media’s narrow framing of Jackson's impact in the wake of his passing, the episode uplifts the ways that his strategy, diplomacy, and inclusive vision laid the groundwork for a stronger democracy — exploring nuances that are often overlooked. Host Kimberlé Crenshaw is joined by former DNC Chair Donna Brazile, President and Founder of the Truth and Justice Coalition Barbara Arnine, and Professor of Political Science at Hunter College-CUNY Joseph Lowndes. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Clips in this episode from: ABC News CNN CBS Seasme Street Democracy Now Amanpour & Company Connect with us: ⁠⁠Donate to our show⁠ Follow the podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Watch an extended cut of this presentation on Youtube⁠

Transcript

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0:00.0	Liberation Calendar is a new daily practice for Black History Month.
0:07.0	Beginning February 1st, the Liberation Calendar will guide users through a daily, intentional practice to build our personal and collective resilience.
0:16.0	Sign up to receive daily emails with suggested rituals, opportunities for reflection,
0:22.5	and calls to action designed to carve out a space for liberation in your day.
0:27.5	Join us in following the 26th Liberation Calendar,
0:31.2	a Black History Month partnership with Black Heritage Academy and the African American Policy Forum.
0:37.4	Sign up for free at AAPF's website,
0:40.1	aAPF.org. That's aAPF.org. Happy Black History Month. I'm Kimberly Crenshaw, and this is
0:51.3	Intersectionality Matters. The podcast that brings intersectionality to life by exploring the hidden dimensions of today's
1:00.0	most pressing issues, from say her name to the war on woke, DEI and CRT, and the global
1:06.9	rise of fascism. This idea travelogue lifts up the work of leading activists, artists, and scholars, and helps
1:14.1	listeners understand politics, the law, social movements, and even their own lives in deeper,
1:20.5	more nuanced ways.
1:34.3	We are coming on the air because the Reverend Jesse Jackson, a groundbreaking civil rights leader, died overnight. A civil rights icon two-time presidential candidate, Reverend Jesse Jackson.
1:39.3	A life dedicated to fighting for racial justice.
1:43.3	Our nation has just lost a civil rights giant
1:47.0	with the passing of Reverend Jesse Jackson.
1:50.0	Reverend Jackson's message was always one of hope,
1:54.0	something he nurtured in all of us throughout his decades of activism.
1:59.0	But I am. But I am.
2:01.6	Somebody.
2:02.6	I am black.
	...

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