Operation Breadbasket

Operation Breadbasket was an organization started in 1962 by the Southern Christian Leadership concerence, led by Martin Luther King Jr. The Operation Breadbasket was organized to battle the rampant unemployment and discrimination in employment of Afro-Americans in US business. Its Chicago campaign -- and later the National operation -- was led by the Reverend Jesse Jackson from 1966. In its first 15 months the Chicago part won 2000 new jobs to the black community. The weekly Saturday workshops of the Chicago-based Operation Breadbasket became cultural events drawing large audiences.