Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Rainbow PUSH celebrate Rev. Jesse Jackson’s birthday with youth conference

The 10th District of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity honored the late Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. on Saturday by hosting a youth leadership and STEM event aimed at carrying forward his commitment to civic engagement and education.

Held during Jackson’s birthday weekend, the event brought Chicago-area students to Rainbow PUSH Coalition for hands-on science activities and conversations about civic participation. Organizers said the programming reflected the values Jackson championed throughout his life and his deep ties to Omega Psi Phi, the fraternity he joined in 1960 and served in district and international leadership roles.

“Outside of our founders of Omega Psi Phi, Rev. Jackson has to be the most transcendent individual — not only in America, but in Omega Psi Phi — to have ever passed,” said Marquis Sagnia, the fraternity’s 39th 10th District representative.

Jackson’s relationship with the fraternity began before he became a member. James Felder, former South Carolina state representative, recalled meeting Jackson as a child through their mothers, who were both beauticians.

Felder said the fraternity’s members helped shape their childhoods, serving as mentors and role models. Their teachers, dentists and doctors were also members of Omega Psi Phi, he recalled.

“The men of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity — they were the people who motivated us, our advisors, our mentors,” Felder said.

All three civil rights giants — Jackson, Clyburn and Felder — eventually joined the organization that so heavily impacted them.

And that tradition of mentorship informed Jackson’s own work with young people, including his creation of the PUSH Excel youth program and efforts to expose students to historically Black colleges and universities. Organizers said the fraternity’s youth programming continues that commitment to expanding educational opportunities and helping young people envision their futures.

The Omega S.T.E.M. Fest and Youth Leadership Conference are international initiatives that fraternity chapters organize locally. This year, the events brought students to Rainbow PUSH Coalition Headquarters, the Chicago-based organization Jackson founded, to explore STEM fields and discuss the importance of civic participation.

“Our goal today is to give back to some of the kids and pour into them the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math,” Sagnia said. “We want to help continue to build the legacy that Reverend Jackson started, which is giving back to the community, uplifting the people, and the mission.”

Tens of Chicago-area students began the day by attending PUSH’s weekly Saturday Forum before participating in a discussion about civic engagement. Students raised concerns about standardized testing and differences in educational quality among public, private and charter schools. Fraternity members encouraged them to turn those concerns into action by learning more about their school boards, alderpeople and congressional representatives.

Sagnia said the fraternity’s civic engagement efforts align with the mission of Rainbow PUSH.

“We know that Rainbow PUSH and its charge was to ensure that Black communities are not disenfranchised from voting rights,” Sagnia said. “Omega Psi Phi’s programs of voter registration, education, and mobilization fits right into that [mission].”

After opening remarks, students split into small groups for hands-on activities, including bridge building, environmental science and learning about smart homes.

Darryl Jones, the district’s 36th representative and chair of its STEM committee, is a retired global engineering manager for Ford Motor Company. He said the fraternity’s programming also aims to address disparities in access to STEM education.

“Some schools don’t even have a STEM program,” Jones said. “So we’re trying to fill that gap with our programming.”

Nationally, Black students on average have less access to a full range of STEM courses in high school than white students. The National Science Board reports that during the 2020–21 school year, 47% of Black students attended high schools offering a full range of mathematics, science and computer science courses, compared with 55% of white students.

Jones said seeing fewer young men express interest in STEM careers at Ford recruiting events motivated him to take a more active role in addressing the disparity.

“We’re passionate about it, we see the disparity and the decline, and we’re African American men,” Jones said. “We have to get more involved. It’s no option.”

For students, the activities offered a chance to explore how science and engineering can address problems in their communities.

“This was an opportunity for our students to really get hands-on experience in the engineering process,” said Darrence Bell, who led a water filtration demonstration.

Bell, who teaches chemistry and biology at Corliss Early College STEM High School, said he tries to make science culturally relevant, particularly for young Black boys, by showing how it can improve their communities.

“Science can be a way to improve the lives of themselves, their families, and their communities,” Bell said.

Bell pointed to lead pipes in Flint, Michigan, and the effects of AI data centers on clean water supplies as examples of issues students can explore through science. He hopes students leave understanding that STEM careers extend beyond the jobs most commonly associated with science, such as becoming an astronaut or doctor.

One participant, 13-year-old Mason Roseborough decided to join the event with his friend.

“We created a water filter using gravel, charcoal, sponges, and cotton balls,” Roseborough said.

Though he says he’s not interested in a career in STEM, he found the event interesting.

“We need better water,” Roseborough said. “AI doesn’t need to have it all.”

The event was also part of a broader effort to strengthen ties between Omega Psi Phi and Rainbow PUSH Coalition. On Thursday, representatives from both organizations met at the coalition’s headquarters to announce the start of an ongoing partnership in Jackson’s honor.

Sagnia said the partnership would help renew youth and community programming at Rainbow PUSH.

“We envision that partnership to be an ongoing relationship by which we help re-energize programming for the youth and the community here at Rainbow PUSH,” Sagnia said.

Sean Long, the fraternity’s 38th 10th District representative, said the partnership reflected a shared commitment to Jackson’s vision.

“We want the world to become the type of world that Jesse wanted,” Long said.

That commitment, Long said, includes supporting Jackson’s family and continuing the legacy he left behind.

“Even though Brother Jackson is gone,” Long said, “we want to make sure that [Jackson’s family] understands that Omega is there for them. We can give back to them the very things that Jesse Louis Jackson has given to us, and that’s leadership and love.”