The Rainbow PUSH Coalition once again finds itself searching for new leadership.
This comes as the Rev. Frederick Haynes III announced he would step down as the organization’s president and CEO after just months on the job.
It has raised questions about the future of the historic civil rights organization.
In a social media video last week, Haynes said, “It’s been my honor to serve, and for that I will always be grateful. However, today, I submitted my resignation as president and CEO because I felt it necessary in light of the huge challenges faced by our community, in light of the challenges faced by this nation and world during this consequential year. … I will continue the fight for justice. I will continue to be a prophetic witness. I will just do it in another lane while continuing to honor the work of Rainbow PUSH and Rev. Jackson. We look forward to working together.”
The coalition’s board chair, CK Hoffler, said while Rainbow PUSH was surprised by the decision, this doesn’t deter the organization from continuing its work.
“Rainbow is continuing the course because there’s so much that we have to do,” Hoffler said. “And so we understood and we clearly understand that (Jackson) is a tough act to follow, but there’s a team. It’s not just, as the reverend has said himself, not just one man, there’s a team. It’s a movement, and that teamwork and that structure that’s there continues on.”
Hermene Hartman is the founder of N’digo and worked closely with the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. during the time of Operation Breadbasket. She said times have changed and the organization might need some revamping to find a new leader.
She also pointed to leaders like Jackson Sr., the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. who gave up preaching full-time to dedicate their time to fighting for justice.
“To have a church and then run a civil rights organization,” Hartman said, “those are two things that probably don’t mesh.”
Rainbow PUSH Coalition said in a statement the search for an interim president is underway and that Yusef Jackson, the group’s COO and the son of Jackson Sr., will provide day-to-day oversight in the meantime.
