CFP: Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. and the Black Intellectual Tradition
Call for Papers:
Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. and the Black Intellectual Tradition
Deadline: May 30, 2027
The recent passing of the Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. is cause to reflect on the life and legacy of one of the 20th century’s best known champions of human rights and dignity in the United States and around the world. Born Jesse Louis Burns on Oct. 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson emerged as a dynamic orator and political leader in the early 1960s. The protégé of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Jackson’s political career spanned from the Civil Rights Movement, through the era of Black Power and Black Consciousness, through the political and social transformations of Black activism and the Democratic Party.
The founder of Operation PUSH, Jackson left behind a legacy that deserves critical appraisal—especially in the realm of the Black intellectual tradition. Jackson’s career included his involvement with the Civil Rights Movement, both in South Carolina and Chicago. Earlier in his career, Jackson played a significant role in persuading Americans who identified as “Black” to embrace the identifier “African American.” Eventually, Jackson would become the center of a melding of Civil Rights, labor, and human rights campaigns in the 1970s.
During the 1980s, Reverend Jackson would run for president twice under the banner of the Democratic Party. While neither endeavor led to victory, his 1984 and 1988 runs for president inspired millions of Black Americans to register to vote, paying off dividends for the Democratic Party in the years to come. Reverend Jackson was also a key player on the international stage. He forged relationships with a variety of world leaders and was also able to negotiate, on numerous occasions, with leaders who were otherwise hostile toward the United States. Ultimately, Rev. Jesse Jackson’s legacy included a dynamic international component, along with his activism and political consciousness-raising at home.
This special issue of Global Black Thought invites submissions that explore the life and legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. with a particular focus on his many influences on Black intellectual thought in the United States and globally. Topics may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Black Radicalism in the 20th century
- The Black church and Black Intellectual tradition
- South Carolina and the Rural South as a Reservoir of Black Thought
- Black Internationalism during the Late Cold War and After
- Gender, Sexuality, and Black Thought, 1968 to 2000
- The Black Social Democratic Tradition
- Economic Justice
- Black political empowerment
- Multiracial, cross-class coalition building
- Global human rights, peace, and diplomacy
About the Journal
Global Black Thought, which launched in Spring 2025, is the official journal of the African American Intellectual History Society (AAIHS). The journal is devoted to the study of the Black intellectual tradition. The journal is published by the University of Pennsylvania Press and edited by renowned Brown University historian Keisha N. Blain. It features original, innovative, and thoroughly researched essays on Black ideas, theories, and intellectuals in the United States and throughout the African diaspora. Global Black Thought publishes historically based contributions by authors in diverse fields of study throughout the humanities and social sciences.
While steeped in historical methodologies, Global Black Thought is an interdisciplinary journal informed by scholarship in Africana studies, feminist theory, and critical race theory. The journal welcomes submissions that feature original research and innovative methods. We also extend an invitation to scholars working outside the United States. Global Black Thought opens new directions for writers interested in understanding the ideas, theories, and ideologies that undergird Black social and political life. The journal encapsulates the best of scholarly research and innovative methods. Essays highlight the wide range of methods and methodologies, including new approaches and diverse and underutilized primary sources–both traditional and unconventional ones. In addition to well-researched, cutting-edge, and deftly argued essays, each issue of the journal features book reviews as well as interviews with influential Black intellectuals whose research is shaping the field. Click here to read the latest issues of the journal.
**For questions about this special issue, please contact Dr. Robert Greene II. For general inquiries about the journal, please contact the editing team (GBTJournal@aaihs.org). Follow the link below to submit articles to the journal. More details about the journal can be found here. You can also join the journal’s email list here.