Jesse Jackson Backed Arab Americans, Palestine Push

Jesse Jackson broke ground in his 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns by courting Arab American voters, appointing James Zogby as deputy campaign manager and openly calling for Palestinian self-determination when such talk was political poison in America. He met Yasser Arafat, pushed Democratic platforms to recognize Palestinian statehood, and built coalitions with Black, Latino, and other groups through his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, forcing the issue onto the national stage at conventions.