A local pastor hand-selected by Rev. Jesse Jackson is now leading the Rainbow Push Organization through the next era of the civil rights movement. NBC 5’s Brittney Johnson sat down with Dr. Frederick Haynes, the Pastor of Dallas’ Friendship West, about what led him to this historic appointment.
A local pastor, hand-selected by Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr., is now leading the Rainbow PUSH Coalition through the next era of the civil rights movement.
Haynes opened up about how decades of studying Black history led him to this historic appointment and how leading the movement from here could transform parts of North Texas.
For decades, the well-known visionary has used his pulpit as a platform, elevating calls for environmental, economic and racial justice.
"I think that I got to preach it in the sanctuary and then take it to the streets and the corporate suites," Haynes said.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
Now, he's taking his advocacy to the world stage.
"Some mornings I wake up tripping like, wow, president and CEO of Rainbow PUSH. And then connecting the dots with the fact that when I was a student at Bishop College here in Dallas, Reverend Jackson came as our special guest convocation speaker for our 100th anniversary. That kid is now succeeding that person he looked up to and still looks up," he said.
Last year, Jackson asked Haynes to take over the international Rainbow PUSH Coalition. The civil rights organization has advocated for social change for more than 50 years.
"Unfortunately what he was fighting for in the 70s 80s 90s, now we have to fight for in the 20s and probably 30s, except for it's morphed into a different kind of fight," he said.
"Sadly, we had more voting rights protection in 71 as a result of the 65 voting rights bill than we have in 2024. As a consequence, one of the things we're going to be calling for is voting rights, not just a bill or law, but a voting rights amendment where the voting rights of citizens are protected regardless of the state that they live. Sadly, there are too many people find themselves living below the poverty level, so we're going to push for not a minimum wage, but a living wage.
Haynes says that a fighting spirit runs through his veins. He's named after his grandfather, who named himself, Frederick Douglass Haynes.
"He pastored Third Baptist in San Francisco, hosted the national convention of the NAACP in the late 50s, hosted Martin Luther King Jr. Without question, I have been shaped and inspired by Black history and Black History Month," said Dr. Haynes.
He shared a story about a critical moment on his journey as an activist. At just 16, Haynes recalled reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X, then using lessons learned from the book to galvanize crowds boycotting San Francisco schools.
"I'd just read Malcolm said, 'You got to make noise,'" Haynes said.
Now, he's hoping the resources of Rainbow PUSH will help amplify their calls for change across the nation in the metroplex.
"Reverend Jackson kept saying, not only are you the one to do this because of your work, but you're the one to do this because you're in the South. And again, the movement for justice is going back South," Haynes said.
"As far as I'm concerned, a tale of two cities has existed in Dallas for far too long. When I think about this opportunity coming to me. Maybe Dallas is now going to be the stage and the model for what justice, equity, opportunity look like in every city in this nation. But, we are going to have to break some old habits to make that take place," Haynes said.
Dr. Haynes will be officially installed on Feb. 1 at The Black Academy of Arts and Letters. Rainbow PUSH will host the Inaugural Social Justice Conference at Paul Quinn College on Friday, Feb. 2. Learn more about the installation and conference here.
