Civil Rights Leader Reverend Jesse Jackson Dead at 84

The longtime activist and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition was a huge figure in the American civil rights movement and a champion of social justice.

The Reverend Jesse Jackson. Photo: Jesse Jackson's Instagram.

Preview:

Reverend Jesse Jackson has died at the age of 84.
He was best known as a protégé of Martin Luther King Jr. and a leading voice for civil rights, economic equality, and political empowerment.
In later years, he remained an influential moral voice in American politics, even as he faced health challenges including Parkinson’s disease.

Reverend Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader who rose to national prominence as a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr. and later became a groundbreaking presidential candidate and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, has died at the age of 84.

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

"A Questlove Jawn."

PG-13History Documentary Music

Audience
Score

Release Date: Jul 2, 2021

Run Time: 1 hr 57 min

Watch Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) Online

Jackson’s family released a statement:

“Our beloved father, grandfather, and brother, Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. passed peacefully surrounded by family. He dedicated his life to expanding opportunity, lifting the voices of the marginalized, and calling this nation to live up to its highest ideals. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and ask for privacy as we celebrate his extraordinary life and legacy.”

Jesse Jackson: Early Life and Rise in the Civil Rights Movement

The Reverend Jesse Jackson. Photo: Jesse Jackson's Instagram.

Born October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, Jesse Louis Jackson grew up in the segregated South. He attended North Carolina A&T State University and later studied at the Chicago Theological Seminary, where he was ordained a minister.

In the mid-1960s, he became involved in the civil rights movement and worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., serving as a key organizer within the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Jackson was present in Memphis in 1968 during King’s assassination, an event that profoundly shaped his life and mission.

Following King’s death, Jackson founded Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) in 1971, later merging it into the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

Jesse Jackson: A Political Force

(L to R) James Brown, Eddie Murphy, Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton. Photo: Jesse Jackson's Instagram.

Jackson made history with his presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988. His 1988 bid, in particular, was groundbreaking: he won several primaries and caucuses, built a diverse “Rainbow Coalition,” and became one of the most successful African American candidates in presidential primary history at the time.

Over the decades, Jackson remained active in public life, advocating for voting rights, criminal justice reform, labor rights, and international human rights.

In 2017, Jackson revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Despite his health challenges, he continued to make public appearances and speak out on issues he believed were central to the nation’s conscience.

Jesse Jackson: Off the Pulpit

(L to R) Jacqueline Jackson and Jesse Jackson. Photo: Jesse Jackson's Instagram.

Offstage, Jackson was known as a charismatic orator with a preacher’s cadence and a gift for memorable phrases. His call to “keep hope alive” became a defining refrain of his career.

He was also a husband, father, and grandfather who often spoke about faith as the foundation of his activism. Admirers saw him as a relentless advocate for the disenfranchised; critics acknowledged his undeniable impact on American political life.