During the 1988 Democratic Presidential Primaries, Rev. Jesse Jackson emerged as an outside viable contender for the Democratic Party nomination against establishment backed Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. An ardent supporter of Rev. Jesse Jackson s presidential bid was Bernie Sanders, who was mayor of Burlington, Vermont at the time.During a Democratic Caucus in Burlington, Sanders gave a speech in support of Jackson while many Democrats in the room turned their backs as he spoke, and one woman actually slapped him in the face as Sanders walked off stage. Sanders helped Rev. Jackson win Vermont against Dukakis by one delegate in 1988. Although Dukakis would later win the Democratic presidential nomination, Rev. Jackson made it closer than any black person before to becoming president. Bernie Sanders was one of the few elected officials at the time to cross the color line and openly endorse Rev. Jackson over Mike Dukakis. His speech in support of Rev. Jackson had many parallels to his speeches along his own campaign trail, such as one of his signature sayings:  enough is enough. Sanders also praised Rev. Jackson for bringing together disenfranchised voters, and focusing on issues such as wealth inequality and racial injustice. Jackson s 1988 campaign platform closely resembles Sanders  current campaign platform. Dr. Cornel West, who has been campaigning on behalf of Senator Sanders for several months and worked for both of Rev. Jackson s presidential campaigns, likened Sanders as an insurgent on par with Jesse Jackson, but even more progressive for Sanders  criticisms of Wall Street are more direct. Jesse Jackson is a serious candidate for the presidency. He was always serious; it was just that the political scientists and the other politicians who belittled his campaign, trivialized his efforts. and disdained his prospects. Despite the contempt and condescension of the media   or perhaps because of it-Jackson went to the most remote and isolated grass roots in the American social landscape to find the strength for a campaign that has already begun to transform politics, wrote the editorial board of the publication, The Nation, in its 1988 endorsement of Jesse Jackson for president.  For five years his distance from the funders, the managers, the mediators and the consultants who manipulate the Democratic Party and legitimize its candidates has allowed Jackson to do unimaginable things and say unspeakable words   about race, about class, about equality and, indeed, about democracy. To an extent that may be unique in presidential elections in this century, he derives his power from the people. Nearly two decades later, not much has changed in that the issues brought to the national spotlight by Jesse Jackson have yet to be adequately addressed by the Democratic party in a meaningful way, and are rarely ever mentioned in the Republican Party at all.Bernie Sanders  campaign provides hope that those inadequacies may be resolved if he wins. Galvanized by his demands for economic and social justice, hundreds of thousands of Americans have packed his rallies, and over 1 million small donors have helped his campaign shatter fund-raising records while breaking the stranglehold of corporate money,  wrote the editorial board of The Nation in its 2016 endorsement of Sanders for president.  Sanders s clarion call for fundamental reform single-payer healthcare, tuition-free college, a $15-an-hour minimum wage, the breaking up of the big banks, ensuring that the rich pay their fair share of taxes has inspired working people across the country. The relationship between Bernie Sanders and Rev. Jesse Jackson has started to become more public in response to criticisms from Hillary Clinton supporters that Sanders would somehow be less effective in fighting for civil rights and racial justice. Clinton s lead in South Carolina is dependent on maintaining her support with the black community, who make up about half of Democratic voters in the state, but that relationship was somewhat strained after her loss there in 2008 was cited by her husband, Bill Clinton, as due to Barack Obama being another black candidate like Jesse Jackson, who won the state in 2008.In an interview with the Hill, Rev. Jesse Jackson said he had no plans to endorse any Democratic presidential candidate, as he has a history of working with both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. An endorsement would also likely have negative implications regarding support for his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.Despite his neutrality, Jackson did defend Bernie Sanders from criticism over his civil rights record recently in an interview with the Daily Caller: Bernie was fighting back in Chicago not in the deep-south   in affordable housing struggles in Chicago,  Jackson said.  The movement was so broad based. There were civil rights leaders in Chicago. Jackson referred to a smear tactic employed by journalists and media sensationalists to skew a response from civil rights hero, Congressman John Lewis (D-GA). Rep. Lewis responded to a reporter s inquiry that he never saw or met Bernie Sanders during the civil rights movement, but the response was taken out of context to infer Lewis suggested Bernie Sanders was not involved in the civil rights movement or was exaggerating his involvement. Having heard Rep. Lewis speak a few months ago and interviewing him in person afterwards, I knew an accusation or character attack of that nature from the congressman was highly unlikely. Congressman Lewis clarified the remarks were not meant to be taken as any sort of criticism or allegations. Featured image via Flickr