Dallas, TX
A Dallas pastor steps into Jesse Jackson’s role as leader of his Rainbow PUSH Coalition
DALLAS (AP) — The civil rights group founded by the Rev. Jesse Jackson in the 1970s got a new leader for the first time in more than 50 years as a Dallas pastor became his successor at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition on Thursday evening.
The Rev. Frederick D. Haynes III was formally installed as president and CEO in a ceremony in downtown Dallas, replacing Jackson, 82, who announced in July that he would step down.
“I stand not in his shoes but on his shoulders, and because I stand on his shoulders, I hope you stand with me,” Haynes told those gathered for the over three-hour ceremony.
Jackson, a powerful voice in American politics who helped guide the modern Civil Rights Movement, has dealt with several health issues in recent years and has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Jackson, who uses a wheelchair, didn’t speak at the ceremony but was in attendance. As Haynes took the stage he shook Jackson’s hand and bowed.
Speakers included the Rev. Al Sharpton, who told those gathered that they “need a fighter” like Haynes.
Haynes, 63, said in an interview before the ceremony that he began working with Jackson on the transition in the fall: “I’m appreciative of what he’s poured in to me, which makes me feel like I’ve been prepared for this experience and this moment.”
“One of the things that we have shared with the staff is that we have been the beneficiary of the dynamism, the once-in-a-generation charisma of Rev. Jackson, and now what we want to do is institutionalize it, as it were, make the organization as dynamic and charismatic as Rev. Jackson,” Haynes said.
“Whereas he did the work of 50 people, we need 50 people to do the kind of work that Rev. Jackson did,” Haynes said.
Haynes, who has been senior pastor at Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas for over 40 years, will remain in Dallas and continue in that role as he leads the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. He said his work at the justice-oriented church will serve as an expansion of the work done by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, which will still be based in Chicago.
Jackson, a protege of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., broke with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1971 to form Operation PUSH, which initially stood for People United to Save Humanity. The organization was later renamed the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. The group’s work ranges from promoting minority hiring in the corporate world to conducting voter registration drives in communities of color.
Before Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, Jackson had been the most successful Black presidential candidate. He won 13 primaries and caucuses in his push for the 1988 Democratic nomination, which went to Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis.
Haynes said he first met Jackson when he was a college student in 1981. “He comes to campus as this larger-than-life, charismatic, dynamic figure, and immediately I was awestruck,” Haynes said.
He was inspired by Jackson’s runs for president in 1984 and 1988, and after the two connected in the 1990s, Jackson began inviting him to speak at Rainbow PUSH.
On Friday, Rainbow PUSH will host a social justice conference at Paul Quinn College, a historically Black college in Dallas.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Oftentimes, it’s a good idea to extend players early. The Dallas Cowboys have learned this the hard way as they’ve allowed negotiations with key contributors such as Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons to get out of hand.
Prescott was able to use his leverage to land a contract worth $60 million per season, which was a record at the time. Lamb held out during that same offseason, eventually landing a deal worth $34 million annually, whereas Parsons forced his way out after his negotiations stalled.
To their credit, the Cowboys might have tried to avoid more issues by signing a few players early. That includes guard Tyler Smith, who landed a four-year, $96 million extension in 2025. That has proven to be a home run, but the same can’t be said for another one of their big extensions.
Dallas decided to lock up cornerback DaRon Bland, signing the former fifth-round pick to a four-year, $92 million extension. This was a surprise move from the Cowboys since Bland was coming off a frustrating season, which was marred by a foot injury. The Cowboys were banking on Bland returning to the form we saw in 2023, but that wasn’t the case.
Bland continued to struggle with durability and wasn’t the impact player we saw during his breakout season when he was on the field. Now, he enters his fifth season in the league with a hefty price tag, and there are questions about his long-term status with the team.
DaRon Bland’s cap hit in 2026 is a problem
According to Over The Cap, Bland has the fifth-highest cap hit on the team this season. Bland, who is earning an annual average salary of $23 million, has a hit of $17 million this year.
The good news for the Cowboys is that they seemed to protect themselves slightly with this deal. While they can’t feasibly move on in 2026, even if Bland loses his starting job, they do have a way out of his deal next year.
Dallas can release Bland ahead of the 2027 season while absorbing a dead cap hit of $12.941 million. That would essentially make his deal a two-year contract for $36.355 million. That’s still not an ideal situation for the Cowboys, but that’s also what happens when the front office rolls the dice.
It’s also an unfortunate trend, as the Cowboys decided to extend Michael Gallup and Terence Steele while coming off injury-plagued seasons, and the results weren’t much better.
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Why Gabby Williams chose to play for Golden State Valkyries
Valkyries’ Gabby Williams shares with USAT’s Meghan L. Hall why she chose Golden State in the wild WNBA free agency.
Sports Seriously
When the Dallas Wings travel to Las Vegas for a clash with the Aces on Thursday night, they’ll be without one of their key players.
Alanna Smith is listed as out for Thursday on the latest WNBA injury report as she is in concussion protocol.
Smith seemingly suffered an injury to her face on Saturday night during the Wings’ 93-92 win over the Chicago Sky. In the first quarter, Smith was shaken up after a head-to-head collision with Gabriela Jaquez as Smith was defending the Sky rookie’s drive to the basket. At halftime, the team announced that Smith would not return to the game.
On Monday, Smith didn’t play in the Wings’ 112-110 overtime win over the Seattle Storm, listed as being out due to a face injury. Smith has worn a protective face mask after she suffered a nasal fracture in the Wings’ preseason game against the Aces on May 3.
Smith is the highest-paid player on the Dallas roster, signing a three-year deal worth about $3.7 million this offseason. Last season with the Minnesota Lynx, she was the co-Defensive Player of the Year, sharing the award with A’ja Wilson.
A 6-foot-4 forward from Australia who played collegiately at Stanford, Smith found a consistent role over the past two seasons with the Minnesota Lynx, starting in all 81 games she appeared in for Cheryl Reeve’s squad. Across two seasons in Minnesota, Smith averaged 9.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, helping the Lynx make back-to-back playoff appearances — including a trip to the Finals in 2024.
With the Wings, she’s started in just seven of the 15 games she’s appeared in, playing an average of 15.1 minutes per game. She’s posting 3.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
Dallas has instead turned to Jessica Shepard in the frontcourt, who also arrived via free agency after spending last season with the Lynx. The Notre Dame product is posting career-highs in points (14.2), rebounds (11.1) and assists (5.6) per game while shooting 57% from the floor.
Still, Smith brings an imposing presence on defense, one that would have come in handy against the Aces.
A 12-year-old Dallas middle-schooler ended up on the streets, where a pimp discovered her. For as little as $50, he sold her for sex. He withheld food unless she worked. She later disappeared into the state’s foster care system after suffering from depression. She attempted suicide.
A 13-year-old seventh- grader was forced to have sex with men in Houston by a pimp who hooked her on drugs. She died shortly after turning 18 from a fentanyl overdose — a few months before her abuser was sentenced to prison.
A 17-year-old Lubbock runaway was required to have sex with men in hotels and truck stops until she earned her pimp $1,000 daily. That quota meant seeing up to 20 “clients” per day. She spiraled into drug addiction.
These children have more in common than the abuse they endured — and the lifelong trauma that comes with it. Each was mandated by federal law to receive financial compensation from the pimps and pedophiles who abused them.
You can read more in-depth reporting from our media partner, The Dallas Morning News.
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