Call him what you will — civil rights activist, American patriot, anti-Semitic race-baiter — but Jesse Jackson has had a lasting effect on national and international politics for the last four decades. From the sit-ins he organized in his youth as an aid to Martin Luther King Jr., to his most recent foray into former Seinfeld star Michael Richards' use of the "N" word, Jackson has remained in the forefront of racially charged political debate, even called "the most important black leader of today" in a recent AP-AOL poll. Jackson comes to the University of South Florida to speak on "Making the American Dream A Reality" at an event cosponsored by Multicultural Activities, the MLK Commemorative Celebration Committee and the Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival. Whatever you think of the president and founder of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, you can be sure he'll give an eloquent speech. Thurs., Jan. 18, 7 p.m., USF Sun Dome, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, free, 813-974-1001.
This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2007.