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Jesse Jackson

NPR's Phillip Martin reports on reaction to the news that the Reverend Jesse Jackson is the father of a 20-month-old daughter, out of wedlock. Jackson released a statement admitting to an affair with an aide and said he was supporting the child emotionally and financially. Many in the civil rights community have refused to comment publicly on the scandal. Those who have followed Jackson's long career in civil rights say only Jackson himself has been hurt by the revelations -- that the movement has many other leaders. Jackson announced a temporary withdrawal from public life. He was preparing to lead Inauguration Day protests in Tallahassee over alleged suppression of the black vote in Florida.

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