By Anne Howard, Reporter
A monumental figure in American civil rights and presidential politics, the Rev. Jesse Jackson has died. He was 84.
Jackson passed away February 17 at his home in Chicago, surrounded by family, according to a statement. No official cause of death has been released. Recently, he had disclosed a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and was later treated for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurodegenerative condition.
“For more than 60 years, Reverend Jackson helped lead some of the most significant movements for change in human history … We will always be grateful for Jesse’s lifetime of service.” President Obama
“Rev. Jesse Jackson” by pchgorman is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
For over fifty years, Jackson navigated the intersection of faith, protest, and power as a preacher with a cadence capable of filling arenas, and as a political strategist, adept at understanding the intricacies of coalition building. His call for a “Rainbow Coalition” reframed national politics, urging an alliance of the poor, the working class, minorities, farmers, and the forgotten.
“My constituency is the desperate, the damned, the disinherited, the disrespected and the despised,” Jackson declared at the 1984 Democratic National Convention.” Reverend Jesse Jackson
From Greenville to the Movement
Born Jesse Louis Burns on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson’s early life was shaped by the racial caste system of the segregated South and by personal complexities within his family. Raised primarily by his mother and stepfather, he grew up acutely aware of both rejection and resilience.
Athletic and ambitious, he attended the University of Illinois on a football scholarship before transferring to North Carolina A&T State University, a historically Black institution where he became student body president and honed the rhetorical power that would define his public life.
His path soon converged with that of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After King’s assassination in 1968, Jackson emerged as one of the most visible national civil rights leaders of the post-King era, founding organizations that focused on economic justice, voter registration, and corporate accountability.
“Rev. Jesse Jackson” by pchgorman is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
“Run, Jesse, Run”
Jackson’s presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988 broke barriers. Though he did not secure the Democratic nomination, he won millions of votes and reshaped the electoral map, demonstrating that a Black candidate could mount a serious national campaign. His slogan—”Run Jesse Run”—became emblematic of that historic moment and foreshadowed a political future that would culminate decades later in the election of Barack Obama.
In a joint statement honoring Jackson’s life and legacy, former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama called him a “true giant,” noting his decades-long commitment to civil rights and civic engagement.
“In his two historic runs for president, he laid the foundation for my own campaign to the highest office of the land. We stood on his shoulders.” Former President Barack Obama, added “Michelle got her first glimpse of political organizing at the Jacksons’ kitchen table when she was a teenager.”
Jackson’s politics were expansive, rooted in moral language and economic populism. Admirers credit him with broadening the Democratic Party’s coalition and elevating issues of inequality long before they dominated national discourse.
Controversy and Complexity
Jackson’s career was not without missteps. During the 1984 campaign, he privately referred to New York City as “Hymietown,” an antisemitic slur that became public and ignited widespread criticism. He later apologized, but the incident underscored the contradictions that often shadowed his public life.
He was both magnetic and polarizing—a transcendent orator whose confidence and instinct for myth-making sometimes strained alliances even as his message mobilized millions.
A Tribute From Across the Aisle
Even across deep political divides, tributes came from the highest levels of government. President Donald Trump posted reflections on Jackson’s passing, calling him “a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and ‘street smarts.’”
“Jesse was a force of nature like few others before him … He loved his family greatly, and to them I send my deepest sympathies and condolences. Jesse will be missed!” – President Trump, added, “Very gregarious — someone who truly loved people,” Trump added, noting his respect for Jackson’s decades of activism and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.
The Author and Advocate
Beyond the podium, Jackson was a prolific writer and social commentator who sought to translate activism into text. His published works include:
- Legal Lynching: Racism, Injustice, and the Death Penalty (co-authored with Bruce Shapiro)
- It’s About the Money!: The Fourth Movement of the Freedom Symphony (with Jesse Jackson Jr.)
- Keeping Hope Alive: Sermons and Speeches of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
- Investing in the Dream: Personal Wealth-Building Strategies for African Americans
- Straight from the Heart
- Black in America: A Fight for Freedom (with Elaine Landau)
Through these works, Jackson addressed racial injustice, capital access, economic empowerment, and the enduring moral responsibilities of American democracy. His writing mirrored his speeches—urgent, rhythmic, and rooted in the belief that structural change required both political will and economic literacy.
A Lasting Imprint
Jackson never attained the presidency. Nor did he fully inherit the singular moral authority of Dr. King. Yet he bridged eras—from the civil rights marches of the 1960s to the coalition politics of the 21st century.
His Rainbow Coalition vision—once dismissed by critics as aspirational rhetoric—now lives within the architecture of contemporary progressive movements. His insistence on centering the marginalized in national conversations helped redefine who could seek power and whose voices mattered.
Jesse Jackson’s life was complex, imperfect, and undeniably consequential.
For decades, he stood before microphones and congregations, declaring that hope was not passive—it was organized.
And for much of modern American history, his voice carried.
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