Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr., the monumental civil rights leader and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, passed away peacefully at age 84 surrounded by family members. His death marks the conclusion of an extraordinary six-decade career dedicated to advancing human rights, racial equality, and social justice worldwide.
Jackson’s remarkable journey began in Greenville, South Carolina, where he was born in 1941. He emerged as a prominent figure during the 1960s as part of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference, standing beside Dr. King during the tragic assassination in Memphis in 1968.
The pioneering activist’s legacy includes groundbreaking presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988 that fundamentally transformed American politics. His efforts mobilized millions of disenfranchised voters and established the organizational framework for future political movements. Former President Barack Obama acknowledged that Jackson’s historic campaigns ‘laid the foundation for my own campaign to the highest office of the land.’
Jackson founded the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to social justice and civil rights advocacy. His work extended beyond domestic issues to international diplomacy and global human rights initiatives.
In his final years, Jackson battled progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare degenerative neurological condition initially misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease. He was hospitalized in November last year as the condition progressed.
Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum. President Donald Trump remembered Jackson as ‘a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and street smarts.’ The Clinton family noted their nearly fifty-year friendship, stating Jackson ‘championed human dignity and helped create opportunities for countless people.’
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries described Jackson as ‘a legendary voice for the voiceless,’ while civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton called him ‘a consequential and transformative leader who changed this nation and the world.’
Jackson is survived by his wife Jacqueline and their children Santita, Jesse Jr., Jonathan, Yusef, Jacqueline, and Ashley. His son Jesse Jackson, Jr. previously served as a U.S. Congressman, continuing the family’s commitment to public service.
Jackson’s enduring message centered on empowering poor and working-class Americans across racial lines, creating a movement that brought the nation’s increasingly diverse population together in pursuit of justice and equality.