Jesse Jackson dies

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a leading figure in the modern civil rights movement who worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr., mounted two presidential campaigns and became known worldwide for his activism, has died at 84.

Jackson, a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, had been living with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare neurological disorder that resembles Parkinson’s disease but advances more rapidly. In a statement, his organization said he died peacefully Tuesday morning surrounded by family.

Even as illness weakened his voice and mobility, Jackson remained publicly engaged. In 2021, he was arrested twice while protesting the Senate filibuster rule, and that same year he and his wife, Jacqueline, were hospitalized in Chicago with complications from COVID-19.

Born in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1941, Jackson first emerged as an activist at 18 when he was arrested for participating in a sit-in at a segregated public library. He soon joined King’s civil rights efforts and was present in Memphis in 1968 when King was assassinated. By the mid-1960s, Jackson had marched from Selma to Montgomery in support of voting rights and later led operations for King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Chicago.

Through Operation Breadbasket, Jackson organized boycotts and economic pressure campaigns aimed at persuading companies to hire more Black workers. After King’s death, he founded what would become the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, expanding his work into voter registration, corporate accountability and international diplomacy.

Jackson twice sought the Democratic presidential nomination, first in 1984 and again in 1988. Though he did not secure the nomination, his campaigns energized millions of Black voters and broadened political participation. In 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, praising his decades of advocacy.

Over the years, Jackson also engaged in high-profile diplomatic efforts. In 1983, he traveled to Syria to help secure the release of a captured American pilot. The following year, he negotiated the release of Americans and political prisoners in Cuba after meeting with Fidel Castro. In 1990, he worked to free individuals held by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, and in 1999 he helped win the release of U.S. prisoners of war during the Kosovo conflict.

Jackson’s activism continued into recent years. In 2021, he traveled to Minneapolis during the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin, who was later convicted in the killing of George Floyd. Jackson also attended services for Daunte Wright, who was shot and killed by a police officer during unrest in a Minneapolis suburb.

His death comes at a time of renewed national debate over voting rights, racial justice and rising white nationalism, and follows the passing of other civil rights leaders such as former Rep. John Lewis.

President Donald Trump offered condolences, noting that he had worked with Jackson over the years, including providing office space for his coalition. The two had publicly disagreed over issues including the Central Park Five case.

Civil rights leaders and political figures credited Jackson with reshaping American politics and expanding opportunities for future generations. Advocates said his presidential campaigns helped pave the way for later leaders, including Barack Obama, by demonstrating the viability of a broad, multiracial political coalition.

Jackson was known for leading crowds in his call-and-response affirmation, “I am Somebody,” a phrase that became emblematic of his message of dignity and empowerment.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Jacqueline “Jackie” Jackson, and his children: Santita, Jesse Jr., Jonathan, Yusef, Jacqueline and Ashley. In addition to his public achievements, his life included personal challenges, including publicly acknowledging and apologizing in 2001 for fathering a child outside his marriage.

Throughout more than six decades of activism, Jackson remained a persistent voice for civil rights, economic justice and political participation, shaping the nation’s ongoing struggle over equality and democratic inclusion.

Source: USA TODAY