Rev. Jackson Lends His Voice to CSU Student Efforts

Over one hundred CSU students and staff gathered in the Cordell Reed Student Union Building recently to hear from renowned civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, who came to CSU to offer his support and show solidarity with the students who have been advocating for their university in the face of a historic budget crisis in Illinois.

“Every generation has its fight,” Jackson told students as he shared some of his own stories of standing up for equality, including a time he was arrested for going to a library.

Jackson highlighted the historical underfunding of minority-serving institutions like CSU and made an appeal for Chicago State University to be given more equal financial support, comparable to other public universities.

Noting that “if you are registered for class, you should be registered to vote,” Jackson asked any unregistered voters to come to the front and get registered on the spot with the help of deputy registrar and CSU student Darren Martin.

CSU President Dr. Thomas Calhoun also added that the students are standing for the right thing and expressed his pride in their efforts.

The CSU campus community, led by our students, continues to fight every day for the funding of our university needs to survive and thrive. Follow their efforts on social media using the hashtag #BudgetorElse.