Rev. Jesse Jackson, the renowned civil rights leader, Baptist minister, and two-time Democratic presidential candidate, has passed away at the age of 84.
The Jackson family confirmed his death in a statement on Tuesday, February 17.
“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,” the statement said.
Jackson had been hospitalized in recent months and was under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy, according to the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Born Jesse Louis Burns on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson faced adversity from the start. His mother, Helen Burns, was 16, and his biological father, Noah Louis Robinson, was a 33-year-old married neighbor. Jackson did not learn his father’s identity until he was seven years old.
His mother later married Charles Jackson, and Jesse adopted his stepfather’s surname. Jackson considered both men to be his fathers. Growing up in poverty during the Jim Crow era, he faced societal judgment for being born out of wedlock.
Jackson told the Chicago Tribune in 1996, “I was afraid to fail. An all-around excellence in sports and academics, being a first-string athlete and an honor student, could protect you from feeling a certain form of rejection. People do not laugh at you when you get A’s.”
From a young age, Jackson displayed charisma and intelligence. He was elected class president at Sterling High School and graduated with honors. He initially rejected a minor league baseball offer and accepted a football scholarship at the University of Illinois before transferring to North Carolina A&T State University.
At North Carolina A&T, Jackson became active in the civil rights movement. He joined the local chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality and helped organize sit-ins.
On July 16, 1960, Jackson led a sit-in at the “whites only” Greenville County Public Library. After being denied access while attempting to borrow a book for a school report, Jackson and seven other Black students quietly read in the library. Their arrest earned them the nickname the “Greenville Eight.” The protest ultimately led to the closure of segregated library branches and the opening of a single integrated library.
Jackson’s efforts drew the attention of Martin Luther King Jr., who recruited him to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Jackson became director of Operation Breadbasket, a program dedicated to improving economic conditions in Black communities.
Building on his civil rights work, Jackson launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984. Despite being considered a long-shot candidate, he earned 18 percent of the primary vote and won two states.
In 1988, Jackson ran again, winning 29 percent of Democratic primary votes and 13 states. He became the first Black candidate to win the nationwide Democratic youth vote. His campaigns inspired a generation of minority leaders and shifted the Democratic Party toward social and economic progressivism.
Tina Flournoy, former chief of staff to Vice President Kamala Harris, told Politico in 2007, “So many leaders of the African-American community have come from that campaign. He was the one.”
Jackson’s commitment to racial equality spanned more than six decades. From 1991 to 1997, he served as D.C.’s “shadow senator,” an unofficial role advocating for the district’s statehood.
As a protégé of Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson fought Jim Crow laws as a college student and later shaped American politics through both civil rights activism and political campaigns. His work continues to influence African-American leadership and social justice initiatives in the United States.
