Rev Jesse Jackson speaks in The Meadows

American civil rights and political leader Jesse Jackson rallied the Nottingham faithful last night with talk of hope and hard work. ERIK PETERSEN was there as he preached in The Meadows

AMERICA is living Dr Martin Luther King's dream, the Rev Jesse Jackson told a Nottingham audience last night.

Preaching at the Pilgrim Church in The Meadows, the civil rights leader, political power broker and man of God talked of the weight of history and the sunlight of the future.

Of Dr Martin Luther King, he said: "His dream is being fulfilled every day."

But though these time are historic, he said the work ahead would be hard.

He invoked the name of the man he had worked for almost half-a-century ago when explaining what was going through his mind when the now-famous pictures were taken of him weeping at Barack Obama's Presidential election acceptance speech less than a month ago,

Mr Jackson spoke of history and of a journey that began with the outlawing of slavery. That journey was on his mind that night in Chicago.

"America was redeemed while blacks were vindicated," he said, "and then we came together as a great nation."

He also compared the election to a joyous wedding, but said successful marriages take work.

After his sermon, Mr Jackson answered questions from two of the congregation's younger members, ten-year-old Bethany Stewart and 11-year-old Rachel Miller.

The visit, which was his second to the Pilgrim Church in as many years, came through Equanomics UK, a group with close ties to his RainbowPUSH Coalition.

It battles wage inequality, loan and debt issues as well as others matters often hitting minority communities.

While the congregation murmured agreement when Mr Jackson spoke about economic issues, they roared their approval when talk turned to the soon-to-be-sworn-in 44th President of the United States.

"Today we face the awesome light of midday, of high noon in American politics," he said.

And he warned against people becoming complacent.

"Do not impose upon yourself self-limitations," he said.

He spoke of America and Britain as promised lands for many, but said that did not mean there was no work to be done.

"Bad choices in the promised land are undermining the promise," he said.

Later, he spoke of the need to be actively involved. "We've got to vote," he said. "You can't just hope, you've got to vote."

He also spoke of Obama returning trust and honour to the presidency, and drew laughs when he compared that to the Oval office's present incumbent.

"We don'' trust our president," he said. "He's not a tree, he's a Bush. It's way down."

Mr Jackson was more than an hour late arriving, but as the Pilgrim Church choir dug deeper into its repertoire, few in the crowded church seemed to mind.