Why is Jesse Jackson boycotting Kroger in Memphis?

Before the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s last speech and his assassination, the Rev. Jesse Jackson is calling for a boycott against Cincinnati-headquartered Kroger.

Jackson launched a protest against Kroger after they announced the closures of two stores in predominantly black neighborhoods. The grocery chain is closing another store not far away in Mississippi. Jackson, a civil rights activist who was with King when he was killed, said food deserts are a serious issue in the communities.

"If Kroger gonna leave us, we're gonna leave Kroger. It's boycott time," Jackson told WREG-TV (Channel 3) in Memphis.

"Closing stores is always a difficult business decision to make," Scot Hendricks, Kroger Delta Division president, said in a news release. Kroger also said in a statement that the three combined closing stores lost $6.3 million from 2014 through the end of January 2018.

Memphis community leaders plan to go to Kroger’s headquarters in Cincinnati to express concerns over the plans.

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Kara Driscoll