Jackson Says Affirmative Action Foes Will Lose Fight : Rally: Rainbow Coalition leader calls Gov. Pete Wilson ‘a glorified George Wallace.’

Preaching a message of Californians coming together to preserve affirmative action, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and his National Rainbow Coalition sponsored a teach-in and rally at a Los Angeles church Saturday.

Jackson spoke to about 200 people at Holman United Methodist Church about a grass-roots movement to fight efforts to dismantle state and national affirmative action laws.

“We ain’t going back,” Jackson told the audience. “We’re not just going to fight, we’re going to win this fight.”

Jackson condemned Gov. Pete Wilson for his positions on affirmative action and Proposition 187, calling Wilson “a glorified George Wallace.”

“He’s really worse than Wallace because he’s slicker,” Jackson said.

Representatives from various minority, labor, community and student organizations joined Jackson in echoing the sentiment that affirmative action is not just an African American issue.

“We’re not going to let opponents cast this as just a racial issue,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority organization.

Vernon Sukumu traveled from San Diego to participate in the event, which also included a series of workshops on affirmative action.

“Affirmative action is very simply the dismantling of the 100% white-male quota system,” Sukumu said. “That’s all it’s ever been.”

Jackson said the Rainbow Coalition plans to open offices in Los Angeles and San Diego.