Jesse Jackson, transformative civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate, dies at 84

Veteran US civil rights activist the Reverend Jesse Jackson, one of the nation’s most influential and consequential Black voices, has died. He was 84.

Jackson died peacefully on Tuesday morning, his family announced. “Our father was a servant leader, not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the family said in a statement. “His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honour his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”

A cause of death was not immediately released, but Jackson had publicly disclosed in 2017 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He was hospitalised for observation in November 2023 in connection with another neurodegenerative condition, according to media reports.

A Baptist minister, a dynamic orator, and a savvy political operative, Jackson’s arc as a public figure spanned more than six decades. He began as a young lieutenant to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., witnessed King’s assassination, and went on to become the first serious Black contender for a US presidency, building a powerful national platform that expanded the space for African Americans in politics and diplomacy.

From the front lines of the movement to the world stage

Jackson was present for many of the most consequential moments in the long battle for racial justice. He was with King in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968 when the civil rights leader was fatally shot on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. In a moment of profound historical symmetry, Jackson stood in the crowd four decades later, openly weeping with joy as Barack Obama celebrated his historic 2008 presidential election victory.

His role, however, extended far beyond the American South. He emerged as a prominent advocate for ending apartheid in South Africa and became an unofficial but effective international diplomat. In the 1980s and 1990s, he undertook high-profile missions to secure the release of US prisoners and military personnel, travelling to Syria, Iraq, and the former Yugoslavia. This work earned him the role of presidential special envoy for Africa under President Bill Clinton in the 1990s.

Humble beginnings and a voice forged in struggle

Born Jesse Louis Burns on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, to an unwed teen mother and a former professional boxer, Jackson’s early life was marked by the harsh realities of the segregated South. He later adopted the last name of his stepfather, Charles Jackson.

“I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth,” he once said. “I had a shovel programmed for my hands.”

Excelling in his segregated high school, he earned a football scholarship to the University of Illinois. Facing racial discrimination there, he transferred to the historically Black Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina, where he received a degree in sociology and first became active in the civil rights movement. He participated in his first sit-in in 1960 and joined the landmark Selma-to-Montgomery marches in 1965, where his passionate energy caught the attention of Dr. King.

The campaigns that changed American politics

It was Jackson’s two groundbreaking campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination, in 1984 and 1988, that cemented his legacy as a transformative political figure. His 1984 campaign registered millions of new Black voters and built the “Rainbow Coalition,” a diverse alliance of minorities, white farmers, and peace activists.

His 1988 campaign was even more successful. He finished a strong second in the primaries, won 11 contests, and garnered over 7 million votes. His stirring address to the Democratic National Convention that year remains a landmark of modern political oratory. While he did not win the nomination, his campaigns shattered racial barriers and laid the groundwork for the success of future Black candidates, including Barack Obama.

A legacy of activism and the next generation

In 1996, he formalised his life’s work by founding the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago, a non-profit organisation dedicated to social justice, political activism, and economic empowerment that continues its work today.

Jackson is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, and their six children. His son, Jesse Jackson Jr., served for over a decade in the US Congress, and his daughter, Santita Jackson, is a noted commentator and activist, ensuring that the family’s commitment to public service endures.

From a young man with a shovel in his hand to a global figure who shook the gates of the White House, Jesse Jackson dedicated his life to bending the arc of the moral universe toward justice.

 

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