VOL. 23, NO. 10	NOVEMBER 21, 1997

Jesse Jackson. Record Photo by Joe Pineiro.

he Rev. Jesse Jackson, renowned political leader and civil rights advocate, spoke to Columbia students in settings large and small on Nov. 12.

  First he met over a family-style dinner with several students in the apartment of Dean Kathleen McDermott in Wallach. Then in Levien Gymnasium later that evening, he delivered a speech in support of affirmative action and social change.

  Abby Lublin, CC'98, an Urban Studies major, was one of the approximately 30 students who met with Jackson in Wallach.

  "He's a wonderful speaker," Lublin said, adding that he is one of the few nationally recognized leaders who can bridge "the big three" social gaps: gender, class and race.

  Lublin said she asked Jackson about her own situation—preparing to graduate and enter the 'real world'—and how she could reconcile what she hears about the country's booming economy and what she sees is a growing economic disparity.

  "There is a lot of hope," she said, explaining that Jackson has faith in social change—but that is must come from all corners of society.

  While he has hope, Jackson also warned of dangers in dismantling affirmative action laws during his address in Levien.

  Laws, he said, are what historically paved the way for real progress—and real injustice. He cited examples from Jim Crow laws and Proposition 209, to successful legal reforms in South Africa.