Tweet Up! Reverend Jesse Jackson & GlobalGrind Take On Gun Violence, Immigration, Education & The Economy!

With about 40 percent of Twitter users utilizing the social networking site to get news or to find out information, it's no wonder that the legendary Reverend Jesse Jackson would also use it to get the word out about some pretty important topics in America today.

And what, you thought the Rev couldn't use Twitter?

Today at the 16th Annual Rainbow Push Coalition & Citizenship Education Fund, Wall Street Project Economic Summit, Rev. Jackson took over GlobalGrind's Twitter to answer some burning questions from our readers and provide some insight on how we can fix some of the issues plaguing our communities.

"I would stop the growth of poverty," he said when asked what's the one thing he would change about America.

Poverty seemed to be a staple and the root of most of our issues in this nation. With 40 million citizens on food stamps and another 20 million unemployed, it's no secret that our politicians need to take a long hard look at how to curb the rising poverty rate.

"An economy built bottom up is where its strength must lie. Right now too few have too much and too many have not enough," Rev. Jackson said.

That same idea of imbalance might be fueling gun violence in inner cities, such as Chicago.

"Chicago is a market for a gun drug warfare. There are no gun shops in Chicago, manufacturers are in suburbs...drugs come in from across the border, unemployment is 45 percent in those areas. Guns in, drugs in, jobs out. Rise in poverty is a formula for disaster. It's not just guns. It's guns, poverty race and drugs."

The Reverend also added that he supports the idea of a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines because those powerful weapons, built for military-use, do not have a place in civilized society.

In the wake of President Obama's immigration reform push, the Reverend agreed that there must be a path to citizenship that preserves the dignity of people and must also apply to Haiti and Cuba. 

But how do we get the youth to mobilize and care about these issues, outside of Twitter?

According to the Rev, we need to uplift the spirits of our people and reject some common ideas that got us here in the first place.

"We must reject the idea that gun violence is a cure or remedy. Violence has worked against our development, we must reject the offering of drugs as the anesthetic for our pain. A...don't self destruct. B...don't self-degrade. C...pursue academic excellence with a passion."

Well said, Rev! We hope you guys out there are listening!

What else do you think we can do to stimulate the economy, curb gun violence, and ensure that everyone in America gets a fair chance?