Jesse Jackson‘s “Keep Hope Alive” Speech
Video and excerpts from his 1988 Democratic National Convention Address.
Reverend Jesse Jackson took the stage at the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta at a pivotal moment in both his career and the party’s history.
Fresh off a hard‑fought primary campaign in which he challenged Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis for the Democratic nomination, Jackson arrived at the Omni Coliseum as a galvanizing moral voice with a national following.
His speech that night, delivered on July 19, 1988, is one of the most memorable addresses of the convention, weaving together themes of unity, justice, and the multiracial “rainbow coalition” he spent years organizing.
Excerpts from Reverend Jesse Jackson speech at the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta.
“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lies only a few miles from us tonight. Tonight he must feel good as he looks down upon us. We sit here together, a rainbow, a coalition — the sons and daughters of slave masters and the sons and daughters of slaves, sitting together around a common table, to decide the direction of our party and our country. His heart would be full tonight.
“As a testament to the struggles of those who have gone before; as a legacy for those who will come after; as a tribute to the endurance, the patience, the courage of our forefathers and mothers; as an assurance that their prayers are being answered, that their work has not been in vain, and, that hope is eternal, tomorrow night my name will go into nomination for the Presidency of the United States of America.”
“We stand at the end of a long dark night of reaction. We stand tonight united in the commitment to a new direction. For almost eight years we’ve been led by those who view social good coming from private interest, who view public life as a means to increase private wealth. They have been prepared to sacrifice the common good of the many to satisfy the private interests and the wealth of a few.
“We believe in a government that’s a tool of our democracy in service to the public, not an instrument of the aristocracy in search of private wealth. We believe in government with the consent of the governed, “of, for and by the people.” We must now emerge into a new day with a new direction.
“You must never stop dreaming. Face reality, yes, but don’t stop with the way things are. Dream of things as they ought to be. Dream. Face pain, but love, hope, faith and dreams will help you rise above the pain. Use hope and imagination as weapons of survival and progress, but you keep on dreaming, young America. Dream of peace. Peace is rational and reasonable. War is irrational in this age, and unwinnable.
“Dream of teachers who teach for life and not for a living. Dream of doctors who are concerned more about public health than private wealth. Dream of lawyers more concerned about justice than a judgeship. Dream of preachers who are concerned more about prophecy than profiteering. Dream on the high road with sound values.”
Read the full transcript at www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jessejackson1988dnc.htm.
