Jackson’s family announced his passing on Feb. 17, with public observances to be held in Chicago.
U.S. civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson has died aged 84, according to a Feb. 17 announcement by his family.
“He died peacefully on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family,” the statement said, describing Jackson as a “tireless change agent” who “elevated the voices of the voiceless” over decades of engagement in civil rights advocacy, voter mobilization, and presidential politics.
The cause of death was not immediately given.
Jackson, a Baptist minister raised in the segregated South, became a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr. and emerged as one of the most prominent black political figures of the late 20th century. He twice ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 1980s.
In 2017, he disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The Rainbow PUSH Coalition later said doctors determined he had progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare brain disorder that affects movement and speech. He stepped down from leading the organization in 2023 due to health issues.
“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.
Jackson first gained national attention during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. He worked with King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and led Operation Breadbasket in Chicago, a program that pressed businesses to hire more black workers and invest in black communities. He was in Memphis when King was assassinated and later became one of the most visible figures carrying forward parts of the movement’s agenda.
In 1971, he founded Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) in Chicago, and in 1984, he launched the National Rainbow Coalition. The two groups later merged into the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. The organization focused on voter registration, minority hiring, and encouraging greater political participation.
Jackson’s presidential campaigns were seen as breaking new ground for black candidates in national politics. In 1984, he won millions of votes in Democratic primaries and caucuses, finishing third. In 1988, he won 11 states and finished second in the race for the nomination.
Over the years, he also engaged in diplomatic efforts, including serving as President Bill Clinton’s special envoy to Africa in the 1990s. He helped secure the release of Americans held overseas in countries including Syria, Cuba, and Iraq. In 2000, Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Despite health challenges, Jackson continued to make public appearances into his 80s.
Public observances will be held in Chicago, with further details to be released by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Jackson is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, their children, and grandchildren.
By Tom Ozimek
