Rev. Jesse Jackson, photograph by Warren K. Leffler, July 1983. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Rev. Jesse Jackson, photograph by Warren K. Leffler, July 1983. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
The sixteen-month strike against the International Paper Company made national news. Although most media attention focused on Jay, Maine, strikers also walked off the job in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania and DePere, Wisconsin.
On October 12, 1987, Jesse Jackson, pictured here, interrupted his presidential campaign to speak to a meeting of 3,000 strikers and their supporters at the Jay Community Center. Jackson stressed that the strike was part of a bigger struggle for fairness and dignity. His message inspired many in the community, encouraging them to stand for what they believed.