Thank you Keith for your kind words and for asking me to host this historic visit of the Revd Jackson to my constituency here in Reading West.

It was just over 25 years ago that I decided to run for public office in this town and it has been a privilege to have been chosen to serve the community I love.

But I have to say that out of all I have experienced, all the people I have met, all I have done in the last quarter of a century there is little that compares with standing here on this stage, in this hall at this time to introduce one of the giants of my lifetime. The man who not only had a dream but worked tirelessly to make the dreams of millions come true in the struggle for civil rights and empowerment of all the people regardless of race, creed or colour.

Like many of you here this evening I am an activist. And I’m proud to be active in our civil life, in our public affairs and in our community. There are those that see activism as a dirty word, a bad thing, something to be discouraged. For the rich and powerful, for the vested interests and those who represent them - activism is threat, something to be constrained and controlled. But for our democracy and our civil society to truly flourish, people from all walks of life must be encouraged to come forward, to contribute and truly represent the rich diversity of our communities.

It is difficult to say precisely when any of us decide to become active, to get involved.

For me, I was blessed with parents who cared about the world around them and with a grandfather who was prepared to go to prison for his political beliefs.

Politics and current affairs were always discussed in my family home and I grew up believing that it was good to speak out - good to be active - good to be involved.

But what were the sparks in recent history that led people of my generation to become involved, the sparks which ignited the flames of political and community activism?

Perhaps they first fickered when my mother burst into tears in front of me in November 1963 when the news broke of the assassination of President John Kennedy. I was just nine years old but she told me - “Remember where you were on this terrible day.”

Perhaps it was the unfolding horror of the Vietnam War and the image of that little girl running naked and screaming down the road from her village to escape the napalm bombs?

Was it the horrific murder of Martin Luther King, the killing of Steve Biko by the South African Secret Police, or the rise of the National Front in this country in the 1970s?

And of course we don’t just get involved to fight the things we abhor and detest. We can be inspired by a belief that by working in common we have the power and potential to lift up the humblest and weakest in our society to achieve great things and to aspire to more than their forefathers ever thought possible.

One man who has inspired us for over 40 years is about to speak to you tonight.

A man who worked with Dr King in the civil rights movement in the 1960s, who founded People United to Save Humanity in Chicago in 1971 and who broke new ground in American politics as the first black man to run for presidential nomination in 1984 and in 1988.

A man whose tears of joy at the election of Barack Obama on the 4^th November last year created one of iconic images of our lifetime.

A man who said: “At the end of the day, we must go forward with hope and not backward by fear and division”.

At a time when the forces of ultra-conservatism, prejudice and division are on the march across much of the world.

It is my privilege, ladies and gentlemen, to introduce you to the man who chose optimism over despair who has helped us believe in Hope not Hate.

I give you the Revd Jesse Jackson.