LEADER JEFFRIES ON WVON: "AS WE MOVE FORWARD, IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOMMIT TO THE THINGS THAT REVEREND JACKSON FOUGHT FOR THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE"

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on a special WVON broadcast from the funeral of Reverend Jesse Jackson and discussed the life and legacy of the late Rev. Jackson and the commitment to justice he has inspired across generations.

Leader Jeffries on the homegoing service of Reverend Jesse Jackson:
"It's a day of celebration as we honor the powerful life and legacy and leadership of Reverend Jackson, who has inspired so many, made such a tremendous difference, has focused so incredibly hard to bring to life the principles in America of equal protection under the law and liberty and justice for all. It's going to be my honor, along with at least three dozen members of the Congressional Black Caucus, to be present at his home-going service celebration of life today in the great city of Chicago. And I think as we move forward, it's also going to be important for us to recommit to the things that Reverend Jackson fought for throughout his life, particularly as we deal with the national nightmare that's being visited upon America right now."

Leader Jeffries on the legacy of Rev. Jackson:
"Reverend Jackson is the one who inspired millions of people, African Americans and others, to come out and vote, in some instances, for the first time when he ran for President in 1984 as well as in 1988. And his candidacy led to a rise of African Americans getting elected to positions of significance all across the country including in my home city of New York, where Mayor Dinkins was elected in 1989 and everybody attributes that in large measure to the excitement and political empowerment that Reverend Jackson created through his presidential runs. I think now it's important for us to continue to lean into the power of the vote. The power of standing up and petitioning against governmental policies that one believes are extreme and not serving the best interests of the American people. The freedom of assembly, the right to protest peacefully, these are all tools that Reverend Jackson used to make life better for the American people, tools that we'll need to continue to lean in as we address this moment that's in front of us."

Leader Jeffries on the war with Iran:
"We're going to continue to push back aggressively against Donald Trump's war of choice. And in the spirit of Reverend Jackson, who believed that America should not be spending billions of dollars to drop bombs in a conflict that was destined not to end in success in terms of the policy objectives that had been laid out, as we saw, unfortunately, in Iraq and Afghanistan and prior to that in Vietnam. And right now what we're seeing is that this administration and Republicans have plunged us into another Middle Eastern war, spending billions of dollars dropping bombs overseas and not willing to spend a dime to lower your grocery bill or lower your healthcare costs or lower the price of housing or enable people to have child care that's affordable. And so we're going to continue to take the case to the American people. And then upon our return to Washington, continue to press our case in Congress to enact the War Powers Resolution that restricts what Donald Trump has done because he has not made the case to the American people as to why what he's doing right now is in our best interest."

Leader Jeffries on the path forward:
"Fortunately, in our system of government, we don't have to wait four or five years to bring about change as would be the case if we were in a parliamentary democracy. The American people have an opportunity in these midterm elections to make clear to Donald Trump and Republicans that they've gone too far, that they're out of control, that we want our taxpayer dollars spent to actually make life more affordable for us not to unleash, for instance, masked and untrained ICE agents to brutalize and kill American citizens, or to violently target law-abiding immigrant families. We want our taxpayer dollars spent making our life better. And that message can be sent over the next several months in these primaries that take place, but [...] of course, leading up to the midterm elections, where the American people will have a chance to change direction. And in some ways, that, of course, is closely connected to part of Reverend Jackson's ministry. Of course, he was a man of God, a man of faith, and he brought so much to the table on behalf of Black America and all of America. And it's going to take an all-hands-on-deck effort at this moment for us to get things turned around using, and being inspired by the things that Jesse Jackson stood for throughout his powerful life."