People United to Save Humanity

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People United to Save Humanity (aka PUSH or Operation PUSH) was founded in 1971, through efforts led by the social activist Jesse Jackson and Operation Breadbasket, an organization which served as the economic foundation for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Jackson had previously been selected to lead Operation Breadbasket by Martin Luther King, Jr..

These organizations worked to strengthen the financial and economic stability of African Americans in the late 1970s. PUSH quickly became a leading social justice organization in the United States, and continue to fulfill this role today. Jackson organized the group with Chicagoans of both black and white races. There were routine weekly meetings held at the Hyde Park Headquarters to help motivate the supporters. PUSH has organized consumer boycotts, pressured companies to hire African Americans and other minorities, supported black-owned businesses, and formed strategies reflected in the current civil rights movement.

The program fluctuated and floundered in the early 1980s. In 1984, Jackson ran for presidency, causing PUSH to be scaled down. The enthusiastic leader still remained as spokesman, but did not return to a more active role until 1991. In the mid-1990s, PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition merged to form the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. They launched "The Wall Street Project" together. This economic emphasis encouraged financial firms and Fortune 500 companies to increase hiring of minorities and to start inner-city investments.

The Operation has since turned its focus to promote education, employment opportunities for youth, and create awareness of issues such as AIDS and violence.

People United to Save Humanity (aka PUSH, Operation PUSH, Rainbow PUSH Coaltion) is a national organization founded and presided over by the Rev. Jesse Jackson. In December of 1971, he founded PUSH in Chicago, IL while serving as the director of SCLC’s Operation Breadbasket program. The organization later became People United to Serve Humanity. Since its inception, PUSH has aimed for the ongoing empowerment of disadvantaged people and people of color through economic empowerment, expanded education, and business and employment opportunities. Specific social issues addressed include national healthcare, a war on drugs, ending apartheid in South Africa, and promoting democracy in Haiti. Impressed by the program’s success, the Carter Administration significantly increased its funding. PUSH quickly became a leading social justice organization in the United States, and continues to fulfill this role today. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan began implementing a series of policies that emphasized supply-side economics. The effects included significant unemployment in the black community. PUSH turned its efforts to register black voters and defeat Reagan’s reelection bid. In 1984, Jackson himself declared his candidacy for presidency. He received nearly a fourth of the Democratic primary vote in primary caucuses and one eighth of the votes in the Democratic National Convention. That same year, he founded the National Rainbow Coalition in Washington D.C. In 1996, the two organizations merged to maximize their resources toward their collective goals. One of their projects was "The Wall Street Project", which encouraged financial firms and Fortune 500 companies to increase hiring of minorities and invest in inner-city development.