Remembering The Perennial Activist: Jesse Jackson
On 2 November 1985, Reverend Jesse Jackson addressed a massive anti-apartheid rally, a crowd of approximately 120,000 to 150,000 people in London’s Trafalgar Square. Jackson called for immediate, harsh economic sanctions and disinvestment from South Africa to end the “Fourth Reich” without widespread violence. He urged Western governments, particularly the United Kingdom (UK), to stop protecting the regime.
Key elements of his address and the event included: A Call for Action, wherein Jackson argued that cutting off foreign loans and investment was the only alternative to continued bloodshed, emphasizing that apartheid was morally wrong and ungodly. The rally was part of the largest anti-apartheid march in Britain at the time, which brought together various groups to oppose the South African regime's racial policies.
The march, which was the Anti-Apartheid Movement’s (AAM) largest march in British history, featured notable figures including ANC President Oliver Tambo and SWAPO leader Shapua Kaukungua. Jackson’s message reinforced that the struggle in South Africa was closely tied to the fight for equality globally, drawing parallels to the US civil rights movement. The 1985 march served as a major turning point, increasing pressure for change and contributing to the international isolation of the apartheid government in South African.
Standing at the base of Nelson’s Column alongside ANC President Olive
