Rev. Jesse Jackson Remembered as Champion for ‘Justice’ and ‘Equality’ After His Death at 84

Rev. Jesse Jackson, a Civil Rights pioneer and two-time presidential candidate known for encouraging the voiceless to “keep hope alive,” has died. He was 84.

Jackson passed away at his home in Chicago on Tuesday, Feb. 17, his daughter Santita Jackson told the Associated Press.

The Jackson family confirmed his death through the Rainbow Push Coalition, a human and Civil Rights organization Jackson started in the 1970s.

“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 read.

“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 continued. “His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama praised Jackson for his lifetime of service to the nation and the world.

“Michelle and I were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of a true giant, the Reverend Jesse Jackson. We will always be grateful for Jesse’s lifetime of service, and the friendship our families share. We stood on his shoulders. We send our deepest condolences to the Jackson family and everyone in Chicago and beyond who knew and loved him,” the Obamas said in a statement.

Rev. Al Sharpton called Jackson a friend and said he was a mentor.

“He was a consequential and transformative leader who changed this nation and the world. He shaped public policy and changed laws. He kept the dream alive and taught young children from broken homes, like me, that we don’t have broken spirits,” Sharpton said in a statement Tuesday.

Jackson was born in Greenville, South Carolina in 1941. He later moved to Illinois, where he attended the University of Illinois on a football scholarship. He transferred to North Carolina A&T, an HBCU in Greensboro, North Carolina, because the University of Illinois wouldn’t let him play quarterback. He also attended theological school.

In 1965, Jackson participated in the Civil Rights marches in Alabama, demanding Black people be treated with equal rights.

Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr was impressed by his leadership abilities, and gave him a prominent role in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

Jackson was with MLK when he was fatally shot on April 4, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He said King died in his arms.

After King’s assassination, Jackson led boycotts in the United States and abroad. He advocated for the poor and the underprivileged, and ran for president twice. He founded the Rainbow Push Coalition in 1971, after breaking from the SCLC.

In 2017, Jackson announced that he was being treated for Parkinson’s disease. In November 2021, he was hospitalized after falling and hitting his head during a visit to Howard University where students were protesting living conditions on campus. Earlier that year, Jackson was hospitalized in Chicago after contracting a breakthrough case of COVID-19.

He was hospitalized again in November 2025. Family members said he was being treated for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a neurodegenerative condition that affects walking, balance, eye movements and swallowing, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Jackson is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, and their six children — Santita, Jesse Jr., Jonathan, Yusef, Jacqueline, Ashley, and grandchildren.

There will be public observances held in Chicago in Jackson’s honor, and funeral arrangements will be released on the Rainbow Push Coalition website.