Editor 's note : The Rev . Jesse L. Jackson Sr. is president and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition . He began his theological studies at the Chicago Theological Seminary and deferred his studies when he began working full-time in the Civil Rights movement with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Rev . Jackson received his Master of Divinity degree in 2000 . Next week : Rev . DeForest `` Buster '' Soaries Jr. writes about his campaign to eliminate debt as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset , New Jersey . He is featured in CNN 's `` Almighty Debt : A Black in America Special '' which premieres October 21 . My faith tradition has always been inextricably bound with the tradition of the civil rights movement . The blood , sweat and tears of `` the movement '' have run through my life ; they touched and entangled me with an indelible spirit of never giving up , always trying to serve . Through the good and hard times , I lean on my faith to help me traverse the twists and turns of life . I grew up with two strong parents who believed in the literal sense and spirit of the Bible that required and mandates prayer in all circumstances . They prayed daily and instilled that belief in me . They were faithful to our local church . My parents participated in all aspects of the church work including tithing , which enabled us to build what we could with what we have and God 's help . I learned very early in life `` with God all things are possible . '' As I navigated through the south as a youth , and in particular a college student , I was thrust into the civil rights movement . Racism was alive and well in the segregated South , present in every facet of our lives . It was a `` dual society '' socially , where blacks could not sit at the same lunch counters as whites , sat at the back of the bus , and were denied equal access to public accommodations ; and also economically , where African-Americans had little , if any , direct participation in the financial life of the nation . Seeing the inequities in all aspects of our lives greatly challenged me to seek another way , a better way . I learned through the teaching of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his contemporary Dr. Leon Sullivan that our plight as a people was like that of a symphony . I came to conceptualize our cause and termed it the `` Freedom Symphony '' -- our freedom song to democratic , economic empowerment . Symphonies are constructed in four movements . The first movement was the fight to end slavery -- a tumultuous upheaval battling the dehumanization of African Americans . Slavery fueled the global trade markets and the industrialization of America . It was an economic system that confined blacks to work without wages , and it involved total subjugation to the master . The second movement was our quest to dismantle Jim Crow and tear down ancient walls of legal segregation that prevented equal , democratic participation in America 's social , political and economic life . But the legacy of decades of slavery and Jim Crow segregation left blacks in a state of inequality . Economic inequalities -- two Americas -- remained a fact of life . The third movement was our fight for the right to vote , to open the voting process to all African-Americans as well as create and institute new legislation such as the Voting Rights Act to ensure and protect the rights of all voters . Our fourth movement of the Freedom Symphony represents the unfinished business of our movement . We are free , but not equal . Our fight for economic justice , access to capital , industry and technology remains at the forefront of today 's agenda . This fourth movement is one that I believe will take us beyond the margins so that all can participate in the prosperity of our nation . My last days with Dr. King and Dr. Sullivan were filled with watching them motivate and move our nation toward a more perfect union . We must be guided by their faith and spurred to social action to ensure that we have equal access to capital , unfettered economic development in urban communities and fair and equitable professional financial services which includes deal flow and fee structure . My faith inspires me to continue to do this work . But faith without works is dead . And so we tackle today 's financial calamity - one that now finds us grappling with an ever spiraling cycle of unemployment , home foreclosures and rising student loan debt . It is here where faith and works meet . And it is upon this philosophy that I seek to serve my God and our world . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the Rev . Jesse L. Jackson Sr .
Rev . Jesse Jackson Sr. says faith must be accompanied by good works on earth . He says Jim Crow of African Americans to freedom has two movements . First movement is emancipation from slavery , second is end of Jim Crow . First movement is voting rights and First is economic prosperity , he says .