Civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson has been accused of sexual harassment by a journalist who says the Chicago community leader grabbed her thigh while making a crude comment.

Writer Danielle Young, in an article for "The Root," accused Jackson of making the "unwanted" advance and comment during a photo-op after a media event.

"I walked toward Jackson, smiling, and he smiled back at me," Young wrote. "His eyes scanned my entire body. All of a sudden, I felt naked in my sweater and jeans. As I walked within arm’s reach of him, Jackson reached out a hand and grabbed my thigh, saying, 'I like all of that right there!' and gave my thigh a tight squeeze."



The post included several photos of the encounter in which Young writes "don't let the smile fool you. I'm cringing on the inside."





Photo courtesy Danielle Young



A representative for Jackson's Rainbow PUSH Coalition said, "Although Rev. Jackson does not recall the meeting three years ago, he profoundly and sincerely regrets any pain Ms. Young may have experienced."

Young said she was "never going to tell this story" originally "because for the longest time, I didn't even know if there was a story."

"What happened to me was something that was so casual, I almost didn’t even consider it sexual harassment, even though it was beyond my desire," she wrote.

Jackson was previously accused of harassment in 2010 by an openly gay staffer who filed a complaint alleging the civil rights leader propositioned him.

Jackson flatly denied the allegations in a legal response.

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The accusations against Jackson are the latest in a storm of sexual harassment allegations engulfing the entertainment, news and political worlds.

The issue has taken over the national spotlight following dozens of sex assault allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and a growing list of boldface names in entertainment and the media.

Weinstein is under investigation in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, London and New York for possible criminal cases after several women accused him of sexual assault or rape.

On Friday, Hamilton Fish, publisher of The New Republic, resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment.

Others include author and former NBC analyst Mark Halperin, former New Republic literary editor Leon Wieseltier and former NPR chief editor Michael Oreskes, who was an AP executive from 2008 to 2015.

Last week, state Sen. Ira Silverstein was accused of sexual harassment by a victim's advocate, bringing Illinois into the chorus of statehouses nationwide alleging sexual harassment is pervasive in the halls of political power.