During Black History Month, the nation is mourning a towering figure of the civil rights movement. US civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson has died at the age of 84. Jackson died peacefully this morning, surrounded by his family. A close ally of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a two-time presidential candidate, Jackson championed voting rights and advanced his vision of a “Rainbow Coalition” for joint action against poverty, racism, police brutality and other issues. A gifted orator, he inspired generations with his call to “keep hope alive.”
Jackson stood with protesters after the killing of George Floyd. Asked what was going through his mind as he laid a wreath at the site, Jackson told Vanity Fair in 2020: “It was in some sense the worst of the civil rights killings all over again.” The family issued a statement after his passing, saying, “Our father was a servant leader… His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions.” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote that Jackson “preached justice without apology.”
Civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton, who worked closely with Jackson during the civil rights movement, describes him as his mentor. Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., called him a “gifted negotiator and a courageous bridge-builder. Jackson’s legacy includes historic presidential runs and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Public observances will be held in Chicago, and the final arrangements for Reverend Jackson’s celebration of life services, including all public events, will be released by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition soon.
