Longtime Civil Rights Leader Jesse Jackson Passes Away

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a towering and often controversial figure in late 20th-century American politics, has died at the age of 84, his family confirmed Tuesday.

According to a family statement, Jackson passed away peacefully Tuesday morning at his home, surrounded by loved ones. For more than five decades, he remained a prominent presence in public life, known for his leadership in the civil rights movement and his advocacy for racial and economic causes rooted largely within the political left.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of civil rights leader and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Honorable Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. He died peacefully on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family,” the statement said, per Fox News.

“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. “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions.”

No official cause of death was disclosed. In recent years, Jackson battled serious health challenges. In 2017, he revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and later underwent treatment for progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare degenerative neurological disorder. Though the illnesses affected his mobility and speech, he continued to make public appearances and advocate on policy issues, including his 2021 arrests while protesting the Senate filibuster rule.

Born October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson grew up in the segregated South. A gifted student-athlete, he initially attended the University of Illinois on a football scholarship before transferring to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College, where he graduated in 1964.

Shortly thereafter, he left the Chicago Theological Seminary to join the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama, during the height of the civil rights movement. Jackson later rose within the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and, with King’s backing, led Operation Breadbasket in Chicago — an initiative aimed at expanding economic opportunity for Black Americans through corporate accountability and community pressure campaigns.

Jackson’s activism began in his teenage years. At 18, he was arrested during a sit-in at a segregated public library, marking the beginning of his deep involvement in student-led protests challenging Jim Crow laws across the South.

As a protégé of King, Jackson was present in Memphis when King was assassinated in 1969. In the years that followed, he emerged as one of the most visible figures in the post–civil rights era movement, eventually founding what became the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a group focused on social justice initiatives, economic empowerment programs, and voter mobilization efforts aligned with progressive political causes.

Jackson also broke barriers in electoral politics. He ran twice for the Democratic presidential nomination during the 1980s, advocating a platform centered on inclusion and expanded federal involvement in social policy. His campaigns marked a significant moment in American political history, broadening national conversations about race and representation within the Democratic Party.

In 1988, Jackson garnered nearly 7 million votes — roughly 29% of the total — and placed first or second in multiple Super Tuesday contests. Ultimately, the nomination went to Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, Fox noted.

Though he never held elected office, Jackson maintained political influence for decades. He championed voter registration drives, supported Washington, D.C. statehood, and at times served in informal diplomatic roles, including efforts to negotiate the release of Americans detained overseas.

Throughout his life, Jackson was both praised and criticized — celebrated by supporters for his steadfast commitment to civil rights causes and questioned by critics over his political alliances and rhetoric. Yet even detractors acknowledged his lasting imprint on American public life and his role in shaping the modern civil rights conversation.

Tributes have poured in from across the political spectrum, reflecting the breadth of his impact during a turbulent era in the nation’s history.

Jackson is survived by his wife and children. Funeral and memorial arrangements have not yet been announced.