Civil rights leader and Baptist minister Jesse Jackson, a defining voice for racial justice, equality and opportunity, has died at the age of 84, his family announced on Tuesday. Jackson passed away peacefully at his home in Chicago on Tuesday morning, surrounded by loved ones, according to the family statement.
Born Jesse Louis Burns on October 8, 1941, in the segregated Jim Crow South of Greenville, South Carolina, he rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most influential civil rights advocates in American history. His journey from a young student activist – once arrested during a sit-in protest at a whites-only library – to global voice for human rights embodied the turbulent changes of his era.
Jackson became a protégé of Martin Luther King Jr, joining the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and standing alongside King in marches across the South. He was present in Memphis shortly before King’s assassination in 1968, a moment that would haunt and galvanise him for the rest of his life.
In the early 1970s he founded Operation PUSH in Chicago, seeking economic fairness and employment for Black Americans, and later the National Rainbow Coalition, building a multiracial alliance for justice and political empowerment. These organisations merged into the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, which Jackson led for more than five decades.
Jackson made history in 1984 and 1988, launching nationwide Democratic presidential campaigns that electrified millions of voters and broke new ground for Black political leadership – helping to pave the way for future leaders, including Barack Obama.
Despite enduring health struggles in later years – including Parkinson’s disease and progressive supranuclear palsy – Jackson remained a visible moral voice, speaking out against police brutality, economic inequity, and systemic racism well into the 2020s.
In their statement, the Jackson family described him as “a servant leader – not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” and asked that his memory be honoured by continuing the fight for justice and equality.
World leaders, civil rights figures and political opponents alike paid tribute to Jackson’s enduring impact. President Joe Biden, former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and activists from across the spectrum highlighted his relentless dedication to voter rights, economic opportunities and human dignity.
Jackson is survived by his wife, Jacqueline and their six children.
Images: Wikimedia Commons
