A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power

From CNN’s Abby Phillip comes a fresh, nuanced portrait of legendary civil rights activist, Rev. Jesse Jackson.

“A joyful, rich, must-read biography of a politician whose flaws and gifts were in constant, intense competition.” —Jake Tapper

Jesse Jackson was one of the most influential political figures of the 20th century. He was a civil rights leader, activist, and an adept politician whose presidential runs shaped the course of Democrat politics to this day. In A Dream Deferred, Abby Phillip charts the course of his life through conversations with Jackson himself, as well as interviews with his inner circle, political peers, critics, and historians.

Focusing on his presidential runs in 1984 and, especially, 1988, Phillip highlights how Jackson built an unlikely coalition that showed the power of the Black vote and the resonance of an inclusive message of economic populism. His experience working under Martin Luther King; his organizing the SLCC’s Operation Breadbasket in Chicago and beyond; and his roots in the deep South combined into two astonishingly impactful presidential campaigns. Appealing to the working people of urban enclaves like Chicago, young people on college campuses, and Black people across the South, white farmers in rural areas and many others, he created the modern Democratic coalition—one that has been used by all major Democrats seeking national success from Obama to Biden to Harris.

Drawing on her expert reporting and natural storytelling skills, Abby Phillip has written a rousing popular history brimming with humanity, politics, and hope that sheds new light on an American icon.