Jesse Jackson, one of the most influential civil rights leaders in the United States and a two-time contender for the presidency, has died at the age of 84.
Jackson, who revealed in 2017 that he had Parkinson’s disease, passed away on Tuesday, surrounded by his family, CBS News reported.
A longtime ally of Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson was present in Memphis when King was assassinated in April 1968 — an event he later described as “traumatizing” and formative in his lifelong fight for justice.
Over decades, Jackson championed political and economic empowerment for minorities. He led Operation Breadbasket, the economic arm of King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference, before founding People United to Serve Humanity (Operation PUSH) in 1971. He later merged this with the National Rainbow Coalition to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, advocating for civil and political rights until he stepped down as president in 2023.
Jackson made history as the second Black Democrat to mount a credible U.S. presidential bid, following Shirley Chisholm in 1972. In 1984, he captured 18% of the primary votes, finishing third behind Gary Hart and Walter Mondale. Four years later, he increased his support to 29%, winning 13 primaries and caucuses, and finishing behind only Michael Dukakis.
Renowned for his eloquence, Jackson gave voice to the marginalized. At the 1984 Democratic National Convention, he said: “My constituency is the desperate, the damned, the disinherited, the disrespected and the despised.” In 1988, he added: “Politics can be a moral arena where people come together to find common ground.”
Jesse Jackson’s life remains a symbol of courage, activism, and the enduring struggle for equality in America.
