Date Published: May 26, 2006   

Jesse Jackson thanks people in his hometown for MLK holiday

The Associated Press

Jesse Jackson came back to his hometown to thank 40 people for helping get a holiday honoring civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in Greenville County.

Jackson was filling in for the Rev. Al Sharpton, who was supposed to be the keynote speaker at Thursday night's "Keep Hope Alive Gala" but couldn't make it.

The event honored 40 people who fought with Jackson for up to two decades to get the county to recognize King's birthday. This was the first year the county has celebrated the holiday.

Jackson told the crowd of about 500 that the MLK holiday was just one victory in a much larger struggle. He said they still must battle other issues like unemployment, the number of black men behind bars and a low minimum wage.

"Our struggle tonight is not freedom," Jackson said Thursday. "Tonight we're free, but not equal."

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Information from: The Greenville News,