Reverend Jesse Jackson, a towering figure in America’s civil rights movement and one of the country’s most influential Black leaders, has died at the age of 84.
His family announced that the veteran activist passed away peacefully on Tuesday morning. In a statement, they described him as “a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world.”
“His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions,” the family said, urging supporters to honor his legacy by continuing the struggle for fairness and inclusion.
No official cause of death was disclosed. However, Jackson revealed in 2017 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He was also hospitalized in November for observation related to another neurodegenerative condition, according to media reports.
A Baptist minister and gifted orator, Jackson rose to national prominence in the 1960s, working closely with Martin Luther King Jr. during the height of the civil rights movement. He was present in Memphis in 1968 when King was assassinated, marking one of many pivotal moments in his decades-long campaign for racial justice.
Over more than six decades of activism, Jackson expanded opportunities for African Americans in politics and public life. He made history in the 1980s as the most prominent Black candidate to seek the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination — a milestone that preceded Barack Obama’s eventual election to the White House in 2008. Jackson was seen openly weeping as Obama celebrated his victory.
Born Jesse Louis Burns on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, to a teenage mother, he later adopted the surname of his stepfather, Charles Jackson. Reflecting on his humble beginnings, he once remarked, “I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I had a shovel programmed for my hands.”
Jackson excelled academically and athletically in segregated schools, earning a football scholarship to the University of Illinois before transferring to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he earned a sociology degree.
He took part in sit-ins in 1960 and later joined the historic Selma-to-Montgomery marches in 1965, where he first captured King’s attention. Beyond domestic activism, Jackson became an international mediator, advocating for an end to apartheid in South Africa and serving as special envoy for Africa under President Bill Clinton in the 1990s. He also undertook diplomatic missions to secure the release of American prisoners in Syria, Iraq, and Serbia.
In 1996, he founded the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a Chicago-based organization dedicated to social justice and political activism.
Jackson also stood alongside the family of George Floyd in 2021 after a former police officer was convicted of Floyd’s murder, underscoring his lifelong commitment to confronting racial injustice.
He is survived by his wife and six children.
