Noted civil rights activist and political hack Rev. Jesse Jackson has been accused of sexual harassment by a journalist who says the Chicago community organizer once grabbed her thigh and made a crude comment.

In a post for “The Root,” writer Danielle Young accused Jackson of making “unwanted” advances and comments during a photo-op following a speech the reverend gave about the duties of black journalists.

I used to work for a very popular media company, and we had a meeting that ended with a keynote speech by the living legend, the Rev. Jesse Jackson. So, of course, the conference room was packed wall-to-wall. After Jackson’s riveting and inspiring speech about the responsibility of black journalists, we all lined up to take a photo with him. One by one, we stepped up, shared a few words and thank-yous with Jackson, snapped photos and went back to our desks. Simple enough, right? I walked toward Jackson, smiling, and he smiled back at me. 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. I was shocked, to say the least. Even though Jackson had had his hand reached out, I had no idea that he would touch me in a sexual way.

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."

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.

As NBC points out, 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.

