American civil rights campaigner, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Snr has sent a video message ahead of a transatlantic conference that will take place here on Friday.

The New York New Belfast conference will take place online for the first time in its eleven years and will host over 400 delegates between New York and Belfast.

The conference will look at how we rebuild our cities, both economically and socially, after both have been battered by COVID-19. The conference will look at how both cities can work together to rebuild, reconnect, and renew important transatlantic relationships at this time.

Rev Jesse Jackson (78), who has visited Belfast twice, sent a message of solidarity to conference delegates. In the video clip, Rev Jackson refers to recent marches for equality and social justice around the world, sparked by the murder of George Floyd. He says now is a time for hope and a time for healing.

The veteran campaigner, who has been battling Parkinson’s disease since 2015, has been at the forefront of civil rights for many decades and was a prominent figure this week at the memorial service and funeral for George Floyd.

Rev. Jackson says in the video message: “We’re not going backwards; we’re not going to give up. There’s a sense of spirituality in our marches.

“It’s a healing time, it’s hope time.

“I stand with people of Ireland and Irish Americans and Irish in Ireland. Fred Douglass was there, and I’ve been there. I look forward to coming to Ireland again. Please let me come back. I love you guys very much.”