Confessions of a Retired Pastor

Confessions of a Retired Pastor

Rev. Jesse Jackson, Operation PUSH, and the Road I Didn’t Take

It can be hard to know whether you made the right decision until many years after the decision is made.

DeForest B. Soaries, Jr.'s avatar
DeForest B. Soaries, Jr.
Feb 21, 2026
∙ Paid

This week I have found myself thinking non-stop about Rev. Jesse Jackson.

In a recent interview reflecting on his passing, I said something that remains true: going to work with him two years after he founded Operation PUSH in 1973 was the most impactful experience of my life.

I was 23 years old. He was 33.

I worked with him for three years, and without fe…

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