United States civil rights activist Jesse Jackson has died at the age of 84.
The cause of his death has not yet been confirmed, but he was hospitalised in November, and doctors said he’d been diagnosed with supranuclear palsy.
“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.,” the statement read in part. “He died peacefully on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family.”
Jesse Jackson was born on 8 October 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina (USA) as Jesse Louis Burns and dedicated his life to bringing people together on common grounds across the lines of race, culture, class, gender, and belief.
Jesse Jackson Has Passed Away
Jackson suffered from progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) for more than a decade. He was also originally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
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He was also twice hospitalised with Covid in recent years.
In his final months, as he received 24-hour care, Jesse Jackson lost his ability to speak, communicating with family and visitors by holding their hands and squeezing.
His family has described him as a leader who believed in justice and equality, and in his enduring love for others, and requested the honor of his legacy even in his absence.
“Our father was a servant leader – not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the Jackson family said in a statement. “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”
Rise of US Activist Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson rose to prominence in the 1960s as a leader in Martin Luther King Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and he was present with King when he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968.
In 1971, Jackson helped to found the international human and civil rights organization Rainbow PUSH Coalition, with its headquarters in Chicago. Prior to that, he was appointed by the King to direct the Operation Breadbasket program.
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As a young organizer, he was called to meet King at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis shortly before King was killed, and he publicly positioned himself as King’s successor thereafter.
Jackson led a lifetime of crusades in the United States and abroad, advocating for the poor and underrepresented on issues from voting rights and job opportunities to education and health care.
He also scored diplomatic victories with world leaders, and through his Rainbow coalition, he channeled cries for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms, pressuring executives to make America a more open and equitable society.
Despite his profound health challenges, Jesse Jackson continued protesting against racial injustice into the era of Black Lives Matter.
In 2024, he appeared at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and at a City Council meeting to show support for a resolution backing a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
