Northridge : Jesse Jackson Urges CSUN Ralliers to Vote

Before a cheering crowd of about 400 Cal State Northridge students, the Rev. Jesse Jackson delivered a 40-minute oration during an affirmative action rally Thursday, urging supporters to use their right to vote to keep the integration effort alive.

Jackson’s speech was part of a weeklong trip through Southern California in which he attacked the state’s “three-strikes” law, as well as the proposed California Civil Rights Initiative. The CCRI measure, which will appear on the ballot in November, would roll back state affirmative action policies.

California is the only state in the country to propose such a measure.

Jackson was met by thunderous applause from CSUN students, some wielding signs that read “Affirmative Action: La Lucha Continua” (“The Fight Continues”) and “Deport Wilson.” The rally was fully supported by the university’s administration and organized by campus leaders.

Jackson began his speech by asking the audience to recall how 31 years ago civil rights leaders in Selma, Ala., began a march for the right to vote.

“Here we gather today, 31 years later, still marching to challenge unjust laws,” Jackson said.

He told students that if they exercise their right to vote they can prevent affirmative action policies from being rolled back.

Joaquim Murietta, a CSUN student and leader of the student group Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA), said he’ll vote against CCRI, but he thinks it will pass. “It’s so misleading, the language used to describe it, that I think a lot of people will vote for it,” Murietta said. “In the short term, you might not see any reaction. But in the long term, there are going to be many ramifications.”

Officials at the California Civil Rights Initiative campaign office could not be reached for comment.