Renowned American civil rights leader and two-time Democratic presidential candidate Jesse Jackson has passed away at the age of 84. His family announced the news on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Jackson, a Baptist minister who grew up during the era of racial segregation in the American South, was one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s aides and a long-time participant in the civil rights movement.
According to Reuters, Jackson’s family said: “Our father was a servant leader, serving not only his family but also the oppressed, voiceless, and overlooked people around the world.”
Jackson lived in Chicago for much of his life and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017. Since the civil rights movement of the 1960s, he worked to advance the rights of African Americans and other communities. He ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 but did not secure the nomination nor hold any elected office.
He founded the Chicago civil rights organizations Operation PUSH and the National Rainbow Coalition, and in the 1990s served as President Bill Clinton’s special envoy to Africa. He also helped facilitate the release of some Americans and other detainees from Syria, Cuba, Iraq, and Serbia.
In 1984, he received roughly 3.3 million votes, about 18%, finishing third in the Democratic primaries; in 1988, he won contests in 11 states during the primaries and caucuses, earning approximately 6.8 million votes, or 29%.
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Jackson was born on Oct. 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina. He received a football scholarship to the University of Illinois, later transferring to North Carolina Agricultural & Technical College, where he became involved in civil rights activism and was arrested for entering a whites-only public library. He then attended Chicago Theological Seminary and was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1968.
Jackson was near the Lorraine Motel in Memphis when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. He married Jacqueline Brown in 1962, and they had five children. His son Jesse Jackson Jr. served as a U.S. Congressman but resigned and served time for fraud. In 1999, Jackson fathered an out-of-wedlock daughter with a staff member of his organization.
Jackson hosted CNN programs from 1992 to 2000 and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000. He was also active in social protests in 2020.
Trump mourns Jesse Jackson
U.S. President Donald Trump posted a lengthy tribute on Truth Social on Tuesday, calling Jackson “a good man, strong-willed, resilient, street-smart, outgoing, and truly loved people,” and said, “People like him are extremely rare.” Trump noted that he had known Jackson long before becoming president and praised his lifelong civil rights work.
Trump recalled providing office space in Trump Tower at 40 Wall Street for Jackson and his Rainbow Coalition; responding to Jackson’s request to push forward and sign criminal justice reform legislation when no other president would; and advocating long-term funding for Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs), something Jackson valued highly but previous presidents had not accomplished.
In his tribute, Trump also mentioned former President Barack Obama, noting Jackson’s important but unacknowledged role in Obama’s election, and extended condolences to Jackson’s family.
Obama and his wife Michelle issued a joint statement reflecting on Jackson’s efforts in voter registration, social activism, and public affairs, and the influence his presidential campaigns had on subsequent political figures.
Former President Joe Biden also issued a statement, saying Jackson helped guide America through “turbulence and triumph” with steadfast and tenacious spirit, always pursuing justice and fairness with optimism. He emphasized Jackson’s lifelong commitment to ensuring America upheld its promise of equality for all.
Former President Bill Clinton highlighted his nearly 50-year friendship with Jackson, saying he “always acted according to conscience, faith, and mission.” Clinton expressed gratitude for Jackson’s friendship to himself, Hillary, and Chelsea, and said he was honored to have appointed Jackson as special envoy to promote democracy in Africa and to have awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
By Gao Yun
