Jesse Jackson dead: Civil Rights activist dies at 84
Jesse L. Jackson Sr., a prominent civil rights leader and founder of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, died at age 84 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. A companion and mentee of Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson rose to national prominence during the 1960s as a key organizer in the civil rights movement, participating in sit-ins such as the Greenville eight that helped desegregate libraries, and later leading programs like Operation Breadbasket to advance Black employment and economic chance. In 1971 he formed Operation PUSH, and in 1996 he merged PUSH with the rainbow Coalition to create the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, a multiracial social justice institution.
Jackson ran for the U.S. presidency twice, in 1984 and 1988, drawing millions of votes and mobilizing a wave of new voters effort that helped shift political dynamics and laid groundwork for future leaders. He also served as a shadow senator for Washington, D.C., and expanded a broad “rainbow” agenda through his coalition’s extensive philanthropic work, including scholarships, foreclosure relief, and support for at-risk youth.In 1997, President Bill Clinton appointed him Special Envoy for the Promotion of Democracy in Africa, and he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000.
Diagnosed publicly with Parkinson’s in recent years, Jackson remained active in advocacy, including high-profile protests. He is survived by his wife Jacqueline, whom he married in 1962, and six children, including former Illinois Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. His legacy endures in the civil rights movement’s ongoing pursuit of justice, equality, and human rights.
Jesse Jackson dead: Civil Rights activist dies at 84
Famed civil rights activist and longtime black political leader Rev. Jesse Jackson died on Tuesday morning, at the age of 84 following a longtime battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
Jackson was hospitalized in November and later diagnosed with a degenerative condition called progressive supranuclear palsy, CBS News reported. His passing was announced in a statement posted to social media.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Civil Rights leader and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Honorable Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr.,” read the statement. “He died peacefully on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family. His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity. A tireless change agent, he elevated the voices of the voiceless — from his Presidential campaigns in the 1980s to mobilizing millions to register to vote — leaving an indelible mark on history.”
A companion and mentee of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson rose to national prominence as one of the key figures of the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20th century before launching a presidential campaign in 1984 and then again in 1988.
The former presidential candidate was born in Greenville, South Carolina, on Oct. 8, 1941, to Helen Jackson and Noah Robinson. Before his later activism with King, Jackson was part of the Greenville Eight which held a sit-in at the Greenville County Public Library on July 16, 1960. Their subsequent arrest helped to desegregate the library.
Jackson attended the University of Illinois in 1959 on a football scholarship before transferring and graduating from North Carolina A&T College in 1964. It wasn’t until 1965 during the Selma, Alabama march for voting rights legislation that he would meet King, his mentor, and become a full-time organizer with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
The civil rights activist would later drop out of the Chicago Theological Seminary to help King with the SCLC’s northern movement in the Windy City and didn’t receive a Master of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary until 2000.
Jackson was also known for his work with Operation Breadbasket, a program affiliated with the SCLC and based in Chicago after King directed him to lead the initiative. Operation Breadbasket fought against discriminatory hiring practices and aimed to help African-American workers with employment growth.
After King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, Jackson was among one of the leaders who took up the slain leader’s Poor People’s Campaign at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. He would continue the mantel King laid out in the ensuing years.
On Christmas Day 1971, Jackson left the SCLC and created Operation People United to Save Humanity (PUSH) later changed to People United to Serve Humanity. Operation PUSH also secured jobs for African Americans in a similar fashion to Operation Breadbasket.
Jackson founded the National Rainbow Coalition, a social justice, multiracial organization based in Washington, D.C., in 1984, the same year as his first presidential run.
During the presidential campaign, Jackson garnered 3.5 million votes and registered one million new voters. Those efforts helped Democrats gain control of the Senate two years later in 1986. He would later run for president again in 1988 registering two million new voters and winning seven million votes. Both of his White House bids would lay the foundational work for former President Barack Obama’s successful and historic two terms in office.
Jackson later moved to the nation’s capital in 1989 where he won one of two shadow senator positions in Congress. As a shadow senator, he lobbied on half of Washington D.C. statehood and pushed for his “rainbow” agenda.
Jackson would later merge Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition, forming the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in 1996 which is still in effect today. The group has paid for $6.1 million in scholarships for college students, provided financial assistance to at least 4,000 families who faced home foreclosures, and given 1,500 scholarships to at-risk youths.
In October 1997, former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright appointed Jackson as “Special Envoy of the President and Secretary of State for the Promotion of Democracy in Africa” in which he traveled to several African countries and met with former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa.
In a sign of Jackson’s legacy, Clinton awarded Jack the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, on Aug. 9, 2000.
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Almost two decades after the occasion, Jackson disclosed his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis and the two-year outpatient care he had undergone in November 2017.
Jackson’s activism has not waned in the aftermath of the Parkinson’s diagnosis. In 2021 he was among the 39 people arrested for refusing to leave Rep. Krysten Sinema’s (I-AZ) office in protest of the Arizona Independent’s opposition to ending the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation.
That same year France President Emmanuel Macron honored the then 79-year-old Jackson when he made him a commander of the Legion of Honor, France’s highest award.
Throughout his career, Jackson received more than 40 honorary doctorate degrees. Jackson is survived by his wife Jacqueline, whom he married in 1962, and his six children including his son former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.
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