Photo Credit: RAINBOW PUSH COALITION
Rev. Jesse Jackson has announced that Dr. Frederick Douglass Haynes, III would be the new President and CEO of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a non-profit organization that pursues social justice, civil rights and political activism for African Americans. This transfer of power took place during Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s national convention in the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago, where they are based.
Jackson, a former protégé of Martin Luther King Jr., “has made the world a better place, breaking down barriers, opening previously locked doors of opportunity, fighting for justice and refusing to take “no” for an answer on behalf of those who have no voice. Rainbow PUSH has been the organizational vehicle that he has driven in the movement for justice. I am honored and humbled that he has “tapped” me to serve as his successor as the President and CEO of this great organization. Rev. Jackson has been a mentor and I have been greatly influenced and inspired by this game-changing social justice general, international ambassador for human rights, and prophetic genius. Sadly, justice and human rights are under attack in the nation and around the world. The work of Rainbow PUSH is as necessary as ever and I am committed to standing on the shoulders of Rev. Jackson and continuing the fight for freedom, peace, equity, justice and human rights”, says Dr. Haynes according to a press release which was obtained by Black Enterprise.
Dr. Haynes “is already focused on making positive change in his new role, with a national agenda to address issues with courts, the end of affirmative action, economic justice, educational equity and justice, and the effects of climate change on communities of color.” He is also “best known as a social justice pastor and advocate for marginalized communities” who has led countless protests and demonstrations, provided food and other resources to those that need it, and helping register thousands of voters, according to PRNewswire.
He has also “received numerous awards and honors for his ministry and activism” such as how “Ebony magazine him to its Power 100 list of most influential African Americans” in 2012 or being “honored to give remarks at the memorial service of one of the most respected world leaders of the 20th and 21st centuries, President Nelson Mandela”. The list goes on and he also is extremely committed to education and has donated millions of dollars to historically Black colleges and universities and scholarships to young Black students. Needless to say, he seems like a perfect fit to lead the organization!
