Rev. Frederick Haynes III to take over Rainbow PUSH Coalition leadership from Rev. Jesse Jackson

By Michelle Watson, Melissa Alonso and Eric Levenson, CNN

The Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes III is expected to become the president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition on Sunday, taking the helm from outgoing civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

The official transfer of leadership is set to take place Sunday, with Vice President Kamala Harris in attendance, at 2 p.m. CT during an event at the organization’s 57th annual conference, a release from Rainbow PUSH Coalition said.

Haynes, 62, has served as the senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas since 1983, growing the membership from 100 members to over 13,000, according to the church’s website. Under his leadership, the church founded the THR!VE Intern and Leadership Program, which employs young Black people with local businesses and the church – an effort that earned praise from then-President Barack Obama in a 2014 speech.

Haynes is “honored” to take on Jackson’s legacy, he said in a news release.

“As a student of Rev. Jackson’s, I am honored to be selected for this prestigious and important position,” Haynes said.

“The role Rainbow PUSH Coalition plays today is just as critical as it was in 1963, when the organization was founded. Our communities need organizations like Rainbow PUSH to not only continue the fight for justice and equality, but to shepherd the next generation of advocates into the movement.”

Learn more about Rev. Haynes’ plans for the the organization in the original article.

Read this Breaking News article about the former leader of Rainbow Push to learn more about the history of the organization.

Find more Breaking News here.