Jesse Jackson Speaks to Rocketdyne Workers

The Rev. Jesse Jackson delivered his message of racial harmony to workers at Boeing Co.’s Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power facility Wednesday in an attempt to improve employee relations at the aerospace company.

Jackson’s visit was the final leg in a four-facility tour designed to boost worker morale after last month’s settlement of two class-action lawsuits by African American employees alleging discrimination in the workplace.

Jackson, who helped mediate the $15-million settlement, has already visited Boeing facilities in Seattle, St. Louis and Wichita, Kan.

“As I look at your faces today, I believe Dr. King and Cesar Chavez would rejoice,” Jackson told about 1,000 workers in a courtyard at the Canoga Avenue facility. “Because here we stand: white, black, brown, red and yellow. This is America at its best.”

The leader of the National Rainbow Coalition encouraged employees to embrace their diversity and use it as a strategic marketing tool in the global economy.

“A global company must have a global mentality,” Jackson said, adding that being global means going “beyond the map, beyond language and beyond religion. Your customers are global.”