Rep. Jackson says Trump is dismantling democracy

 

by Chinta Strausberg, The Chicago Crusader

During the first five days of his administration, Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-1st) said Trump is focused on seeking “to destroy all of the collective gains fought” and won by African Americans with a “manifesto” he says is “dismantling democracy.”

He told of having attended Trump’s inauguration, where he saw a “billionaire’s row” sitting behind the newly sworn-in president and how Trump was “unhinged,” a man “seeking retribution.” 

Jackson does not embrace Trump’s issuing a flurry of executive orders, including pardoning 1,500 January 6 insurrectionists. He shared how some of these people sat on the second floor looking down on the Congressmen the day after the inaugural service. They had been fully pardoned by Trump. 

These were the same people Rep. Jackson said that stormed the Capitol police during the January 6 attack who are now free “to buy guns.” Five people died on January 6th, most of whom were Trump supporters. 

Father Michael L. Pfleger told the Chicago Crusader, “Trump and his lapdog Republicans are bringing fascism into reality…. This is not about disagreement of Policy…. this is pure Evil.”

“Our children are in trouble,” Jackson said because this is a generation that does not know how to fight back. “We have to resist and fight back.”

After a judge temporarily halted Trump’s freeze on federal funding, the administration began to offer about 2 million employees a buyout with benefits through September, according to NBC News. He wants 100 percent loyalty from the employees.

Referring to Trump’s signing an executive order on his first day in office making it easier to fire federal employees, Rep. Jackson said one in five federal workers are African American. “Elon Musk has an issue with that.”

Jackson was referring to Tesla, owned by Musk, who was sued by almost 6,000 Black workers in Freemont, California, for alleged blatant racism in that Tesla factory back in 2022 and the failure of Tesla to protect the workers against racism under a tentative ruling by a California judge. 

According to ABC News, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Noel Wise allowed the workers to proceed with their class action lawsuit due to Tesla’s alleged “pattern or practice” of failing to take reasonable steps to end the racism at the plant. Tesla officials issued a statement claiming that the racism accusations were just a “Hotbed of Misinformation” and denied any wrongdoing. Officials claimed they fired three workers after investigating the racism complaints.

Speaking at the Saturday, January 26th, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Rep. Jackson said this is a part of the Project 2025, their plan, their “manifesto to dismantle all of our gains.” 

“We can survive a Donald Trump if we have resistance and fight back,” said Jackson. He introduced Rev. Dr. Frank A. Thomas, a professor at the Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

Since the 2024 election, Rev. Thomas said so many things have been lost, like the right for women to control their own health care and bodies, along with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, lost—fair and compassionate treatment of immigrants, lost—compassion for transgender persons.

“I believe with the grasping of whiteness white supremacy is now firmly entrenched in the highest level of government…” Thomas said, “We is (sic) surrounded by white supremacy.”

Attorney Yusef Jackson, the COO of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, said Trump is “demolishing our protections, and we can’t allow that. We have to fight back. Fighting back can’t be just reflexive. They have been planning this for a long time.

“They have scholars. They have universities. They have policymakers who are all aiming towards this demolishing of our work, as in the 1964 Civil Rights Act. 

“Responding will have to take more than reflexive action because your reflexes are not sustainable. We have to come together in a serious think tank to combat the terror that we’re going to get from our government.” 

Attorney Yusef Jackson, COO of Rainbow PUSH Coalition, thanked Nadine Ashford for coming to PUSH on a bus from Ford Heights. The wheelchair single mother of one was once a student at Prairie State College, where she and other students protested the Vietnam War. “They called the paddy wagon on us,” she told the Chicago Crusader. “He [Rev. Jackson] came to defend us, and he gave us a boost, stamina and courage. I am still encouraged,” she said.

After the program, Rev. Jackson’s healthcare aide rolled his wheelchair next to Ashford’s wheelchair and they greeted each other.