Jesse Jackson Jr. diagrams winning play for Black North Carolinians

Former Illinois congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. challenged members of the state’s Divine 9 to engage those turned off by politics. He spoke during Divine 9 NC Legislative Day April 8, 2026, in Raleigh, North Carolina. After his keynote address at downtown’s Halifax Mall, Jackson accepted The Order of the Long Leaf Pine posthumously awarded to his father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.

RALEIGH, N.C. — On Halifax Mall’s grassy lawn outside of the North Carolina General Assembly, former Illinois congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. drew up what he believes is the winning play for Black people in this year’s midterm election. 

Back in 2024, ahead of the general election, the North Carolina State Board of Elections purged some 747,000 registered voters. Their registrations were considered ineligible for reasons including their inactivity between two federal general elections, and their inability to prove American citizenship. 

Jackson, speaking April 8 during Divine 9 NC Legislative Day (D9 Day), called for canvassers to run routes that pull disengaged voters off proverbial sidelines and benches, getting them in the game. 

“Go back to our meetings, go back to our claves, go back to our districts and make the case for political advocacy, not just for the college-educated and elite amongst us, but for the 800,000 North Carolinians and the million in Illinois who’ve opted out of the process,” Jackson said. “And you’re gonna find them in the barbershops, in the beauty shops. You’re gonna find them in the streets. You’re gonna find them on the corners. You’re gonna find them graduating from high school not attending college having never heard of a fraternity or a sorority. We can’t hold our heads up higher than the least of these in our community. You can’t do that.”

N.C. Rep. Robert Reives exhorted members of North Carolina’s Divine 9 to engage in the voting process. He spoke during Divine 9 NC Legislative Day April 8, 2026, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Black sororities and fraternities are historically politically active. D9 Day builds on that by assembling Black Greek-letter organizations for calls to action. 

“We’re not doing this to have fun. We’re doing this so you can tell us how you’re going to help us fight,” said  N.C. Rep. Robert Reives, a Divine 9 member. He drew the audience’s attention to a QR code directing users to volunteer opportunities with North Carolina Black Alliance, which has organized D9 Day for 11 years. 

D9 Day included a panel discussion featuring four Black state lawmakers, all of them Divine 9 members. Jackson said the panel was top tier, and the overall eventwas unlike any he’d ever seen put on by Black Greek-letter organizations. 

“I’m in Illinois. Divine 9’s impact [there] is not what your impact is,” Jackson said. 

During the event, Jackson’s father, Jesse Jackson Sr., was posthumously awarded The Order of the Longleaf Pine, North Carolina’s highest civilian honor. Jackson Jr. said he’d take it to his mother. 

Former North Carolina legislator Yvonne Holley was recognized for her work in state politics.