The Reverend Jesse Jackson, the civil rights icon who worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has died at 84. Jackson’s long career leaves behind an unmatched legacy of civic and political activism, including the creation of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and two presidential runs.
Fighting segregation, working with MLK
Jackson’s death was announced Tuesday by his family. Although they did not announce a cause of death, Jackson had publicly battled health struggles since he revealed in 2017 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder. The Jackson family said there would be public events, including an observance in Chicago, to honor their father’s legacy. The Jackson family said in their statement, “Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world.”
Jackson’s long career of leadership began early in his life. He was born in segregated Greenville, SC, in 1944. He left the South to attend college at the University of Illinois but soon transferred to North Carolina A&T College in Greensboro, NC. Arriving months after four of the school’s students started a wave of anti-segregation sit-ins, Jackson joined the Congress of Racial Equality and became involved in these demonstrations. He later joined Dr. King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference, becoming the head of SCLC’s Operation Breadbasket economic empowerment program. Rev. King mentored Jackson, and Jackson was famously present when King was assassinated at a motel in Memphis in 1968.
Breaking political barriers and dealing with controversy
Jackson continued as an activist, the leader of Operation Breadbasket and a Baptist minister. He eventually left SCLC to launch his own organization, People United to Save Humanity (PUSH). In 1984, Jackson followed in the footsteps of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm to become the second Black person to run for president within a major U.S. political party. Jackson created the National Rainbow Coalition, through which he conducted his 1984 Democratic primary campaign, finishing with the third-most votes among candidates. Jackson was even more successful in his 1988 run for president, winning nearly a dozen primaries and caucuses and finishing second to Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. Jackson’s “Keep Hope Alive” speech at the 1988 Democratic National Convention became one of the most iconic speeches ever delivered by a Black leader.
Jackson’s career saw several controversies throughout the decades. His ambition created tension with other civil rights leaders, including King. Jackson’s account of what happened when King was assassinated — Jackson initially said that he was the last person to speak to King and cradled his body after he was shot — was disputed by others present at the scene. During Jackson’s 1984 presidential run, his use of an antisemitic slur in relation to New York City’s Jewish population created a major controversy. In 2001, it was revealed that Jackson, who was married to his wife Jacqueline from 1962 until his death, had fathered a child with an employee of his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. In 2008, he had to apologize after an open mic picked up Jackson making critical remarks about then-presidential candidate Barack Obama. The negative remarks about Obama were criticized by Jackson’s son, Jesse Jackson Jr., at the time a U.S. Congressman representing Illinois. The younger Jackson resigned in 2012 and was sentenced to prison for improper use of campaign finances but is currently running to reclaim his old seat.
Enduring legacy of leadership and public service
Ultimately, Jackson’s missteps did not diminish his legacy. President Bill Clinton appointed Jackson as a special envoy to Africa and awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000. Jackson remained active as leader of the merged Rainbow/PUSH Coalition until he retired in 2023. Jackson received a standing ovation and brought many in the audience to tears when he made a surprise on-stage appearance at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
As news of Jackson’s death spread Tuesday, those impacted by his work and his life reflected on the iconic leader. Rev. Al Sharpton, who, like Jackson, used the pulpit and civic activism to speak as one of the most prominent Black voices of the 1980s and 1990s, praised his “mentor,” Jackson. “He was a consequential and transformative leader who changed this nation and the world. He shaped public policy and changed laws. He kept the dream alive and taught young children from broken homes, like me, that we don’t have broken spirits,” Sharpton wrote.
The New York Times described Jackson as “the nation’s most influential Black figure in the years between the civil rights crusades of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the election of Barack Obama.” His career played a large role in the transition from civil rights activism to national electoral politics for Black leaders, with Jackson himself being one of the most notable Black leaders in modern American history.
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