Jesse Jackson visits UNL campus

Lessons learned in the Rev. Jesse Jackson's presidential bids in 1984 and 1988 helped President Barack Obama win election in 2008, Jackson told high school students Wednesday at a black leadership symposium at University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Responding to a question from Omaha North junior Maya Evans, Jackson cited two examples where his presidential campaigns led to election changes that benefitted Obama's campaign.

One was the realization that college students should be allowed to vote on campus, instead of being required to return to their home towns.

The other was the move to proportional representation by conventional delegates rather than the winner-take-all system of the past. That enabled Obama to win the Democratic nomination despite narrowly losing primary elections in several big states.

"It was a part of democratizing democracy," Jackson said. "President Obama has done a great job, but he comes from a lineage of democratizing democracy."

Jackson's 45-minute speech to about 500 high school student was dominated by his trademark call and response technique.

"I am Some Body!" The students cried, before giving Jackson a standing ovation.

Later Wednesday, while speaking before a crowd of about 2000, at Lincoln's Lied Center for the Performing Arts, Jackson endorsed the "Occupy" movement as a descendant of the civil rights movement.

"Occupy is really a new name for an old game," he said, noting that one of Martin Luther King's last projects was an effort to occupy the mall in Washington D.C.

Jackson later stopped at Occupy Lincoln's village of tents, offering words of encouragement and advice to the protesters. For the movement to succeed, he said, it needs to "find a message that people can embrace."

He said the movement resonates because of its focus on the gap between rich and poor in the U.S.

Lincoln's Occupy protest is based on Centennial Mall north of th State Capitol Building.

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