Published: February 23, 2026
Jesse Jackson, the influential civil rights leader, Baptist minister, and two-time presidential candidate who helped reshape American politics in the 1980s, died on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at the age of 84. A protégé of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson spent more than five decades at the forefront of the struggle for racial justice, economic equality, and political empowerment.
Jackson’s family announced his death in a statement reflecting both personal loss and global impact.
“Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the statement read. “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family.”
Born in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1941, Jackson rose to national prominence during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. As a young activist, he worked closely with King and became involved with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, playing a visible role in voter registration drives and economic justice campaigns. Jackson was present during some of the most pivotal moments of the movement, including the events surrounding King’s assassination in 1968.
In the years that followed, Jackson emerged as a prominent leader in his own right. He founded Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity), later merging it with the Rainbow Coalition to form the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. Through these organizations, Jackson advocated for minority business development, voter participation, and expanded educational opportunities, while also addressing issues such as poverty and corporate accountability.
Jackson’s influence expanded beyond civil rights activism into national politics. In 1984, he launched a historic campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, becoming one of the first African American candidates to mount a serious bid for the presidency. Though he did not secure the nomination, his campaign energized millions of voters, particularly young people and communities of color, and expanded the Democratic Party’s electoral coalition.
He ran again in 1988, and his campaigns pushed issues such as economic fairness, expanded healthcare access, and diplomatic engagement over military intervention into mainstream political discourse. Many political observers credit Jackson’s campaigns with laying the groundwork for greater diversity in national leadership and for future candidates of color seeking high office.
Jackson was also involved in international diplomacy efforts, negotiating the release of American hostages abroad and advocating for sanctions against apartheid-era South Africa. His global reach reflected his long-standing belief that the struggle for justice transcended national borders.
In recent years, Jackson had faced declining health. In 2017, he announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015. However, it was determined that he was living with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurological disorder that is often initially diagnosed as Parkinson’s disease.
Even as his public appearances became less frequent, tributes to his legacy continued from across the political spectrum.
Public commemorations, according to the Jackson family, will take place in Chicago, where he spent much of his life and built his national base of operations.
Rev. Jesse Jackson leaves behind a complex and enduring legacy. His voice, once a constant presence in American civic life, helped shape conversations about race, equality, opportunity, and democracy for generations to come.
