The professors were pushed to action after Jesse Jackson, an African-American that was behind in the polls, wound up winning the Democratic primary in Michigan with 55 % of the vote.
為創設者紐曼、佛賽斯和納爾遜等 3 名商學院教授點燃靈感的導火線，則來自 1988 年那場民主黨黨內初選──原本民調大幅落後的非裔民權領袖傑克遜，最後在密西根黨團會議中卻以 55 % 的高得票率勝出。