The battle to make America better and “an even playing field for the American worker” is important, Rev. Jesse Jackson told a packed 40 Watt Club Monday night.

“We realized the dream of ’63, so now we must realize a new dream – economic justice and security. So long as there is a wall up, there is ignorance, fear and hate on both sides,” Jackson said, citing the demolition of the Berlin Wall in 1989 as an example.

“When we tear down the wall, we can realize our God-given potential.”

Jackson’s speech was part of a series of events held Monday by the Economic Justice Coalition for their fourth annual “Celebration of Worker’s Rights.”

Jackson said there should be massive rallies at the University to help advocate for living wages for workers.

“The maids at the University who mop your floors and clean your toilets and who work 45 hours a week don’t have proper benefits,” he said. “What a joy it would be to see the University advocate living wage and see the children of those workers graduate from the University.”

Jackson spoke briefly about the Democratic National Convention held last week in Denver and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech.

“Dr. King did not stop dreaming on Aug. 28. His last dream was about shared economic security and justice – breaking the cycle of poverty. The day of that march we saw the walls that divided us come down; Aug. 28, 2008 was a celebration that the walls were down,” Jackson said.

“The dream of ’08 must be to build the bridge for health care for every working American,” Jackson said. “Once the wall is torn down, you can build a bridge, and that is what Barack is saying.”

Jackson also said that America is in a “war of choice,” using the war in Iraq as an example.

“We are spending billions in Iraq bombing bridges, but we are afraid that the levees may break in New Orleans because of misappropriation of money. We need to end the war on Iraq and end the war on poverty at home.”

“It’s time to change our priorities, and your vote is your weapon.”