Prominent Dallas Pastor Steps Down As Rainbow Push Coalition Head
WASHINGTON — Three months after he was installed as president of the Rainbow Push Coalition, the Rev. Freddie Haynes III abruptly resigned this week as leader of the historic Civil Rights organization.
Last July, the Rev. Jesse Jackson had selected Haynes to lead the organization starting in 2024. In 1996, Jackson brought together his Rainbow Coalition and his Chicago-based People United to Save Humanity.
Haynes, who has served as pastor of the 13,000-member Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, has talked for months about his vision to lead Rainbow Push, but on Tuesday announced that he was resigning.
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“After continual prayer and deliberation, I have decided to step down from the position of Chief Executive Officer and President of Rainbow Push Coalition, effective immediately,” Haynes said in a statement. “I remain committed to honoring the rich history of RPC and the legacy of its esteemed leader, the incomparable Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Sr., and the most significantly, to the calling and pursuit of social justice.”
The organization’s headquarters are in Chicago, but the group has offices in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, New York and Oakland, Calif.
The organization’s website states, “We work to make the American Dream a reality for all our citizens and advocate for peace and justice around the world. We are dedicated to improving the lives of all people by serving as a voice for the voiceless.”
Haynes will remain pastor of his Dallas church, which has grown from less than 100 members in 1983 to more than 13,000 today.
Even though the Rainbow Push Coalition has a board of directors and a foundation, it has struggled financially for a number of years. The staff has been laid off and control of the coalition is currently in the hands of Jackson’s son Yuself.
The Rev. Ben Chavis, executive director of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, said that “Dr. Freddie Haynes is a gifted leader” who brought vital skills to Rainbow Push.
However, several sources within the organization said there wasn't enough money to sustain a paid staff, so Haynes had been working without a salary.
“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all who have expressed their support since my appointment in July of last year,” Haynes said in his letter. “Rest assured that my work in the fight for liberation and freedom continues.”
Hamil R. Harris is a veteran journalist and Religion Unplugged correspondent based in Washington, D.C.