16 Jun 2020 A Rare Moment When Jesse Jackson is Right!

While Project 21 member Donna Jackson rarely finds herself in agreement with anything Jesse Jackson does, she writes in a new Townhall commentary that “he’s courageous for breaking with the liberal establishment and radical environmentalists” by supporting a natural gas pipeline that will help a poor community south of Chicago.

In this instance, Jackson appears to have put his regular politics aside by supporting fossil fuels that will alleviate the financial and energy poverty of Pembroke Township, Illinois.

In her commentary, Donna notes:

President Donald Trump has prioritized both increasing the supply of domestic energy and building out pipelines and other infrastructure to deliver it. Doing so creates jobs and ensures access to the most affordable energy available. This is especially important for low-income households where high energy bills raise the prospect of “energy poverty” – having to forego even the most basic necessities such as food and new clothing to keep lights on and homes warm.

With around 70% of black households having just a single parent, the affordable energy issue should be important to the reverend and the president.

​But this pro-energy/pro-people agenda is criticized by environmentalists and their liberal allies. They seem to think no price is too high when it comes to fighting “climate change.” They are happy to block projects involving fossil fuels like natural gas, oil and coal – even if it is to the detriment of black Americans who have supported them politically.

And the infrastructure element was even supported by arch-liberal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in a recent case decided by the Court!

Yet the left still seeks to hinder fossil fuel projects, such as the one Jesse Jackson supports in Pembroke Township, at the expense of poor and minority communities, among others. There’s also the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) that was the focus of the Supreme Court case. In that latter instance, environmentalists are trying to say it’s an “environmental justice” issue – where the prospect of jobs, revenue and energy takes a backseat to a social justice agenda.

But Donna doubts the sincerity of the left’s alleged compassion:

I imagine that, if the ACP is killed and those same black leaders later go looking for help for their community, their environmentalist “friends” will be long gone.

Discussing how the need to combat energy poverty should outweigh social justice concerns, she adds:

​[S]ome on the left would apparently rather dictate to black people than listen to them.

To read all of Donna’s commentary – “Black vs. Green: Black Americans Fight Climate Measures That Increase Energy Costs” – at Townhall, click here.