Jesse Jackson Dies at 84, Legacy Remembered

Clear Facts

• Jesse Jackson, civil rights activist and two-time Democrat presidential candidate, died Tuesday at age 84.
• Jackson was hospitalized in November with a neurological condition and had also been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017.
• Former President Trump reflected on Jackson’s life and offered condolences to his family.

Jesse Jackson passed away Tuesday at 84, with his family confirming his death but not providing a cause. Jackson was on life support in November after hospitalization for progressive supranuclear palsy and had publicly shared his battle with Parkinson’s disease since 2017.

“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. His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity,” his family said.

“Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world.”

Born in 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson graduated from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College in 1964 and began working with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was present in Memphis in 1968 when Dr. King was assassinated. Jackson later worked for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, running “Operation Breadbasket” to create economic opportunities for black Americans. He left the organization in 1971 after suspension for administrative reasons.

Jackson ran for president as a Democrat in 1984 and 1988, promoting far-left policies and opposing Ronald Reagan’s agenda. His campaigns received notable support, but controversy arose after offensive remarks during his 1984 run. In the 1990s, Jackson lobbied for Washington, D.C. statehood and in 1996 founded the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Bill Clinton in 2000.

Jackson remained politically active in recent years, advocating for changes to the Electoral College and criticizing President Donald Trump, calling him a “racist” and “weapon of mass destruction.”

“The language of Donald Trump has been a source of shame for our nation. Humiliation and untruth,” Jackson said in 2018.

In 2020, Jackson endorsed Bernie Sanders for president.

President Trump reacted to Jackson’s death by recalling their acquaintance prior to his presidency and his support for the Rainbow Coalition in New York.

“I knew him well, long before becoming President. He was a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and ‘street smarts.’ He was very gregarious — Someone who truly loved people! Despite the fact that I am falsely and consistently called a Racist by the Scoundrels and Lunatics on the Radical Left, Democrats ALL, it was always my pleasure to help Jesse along the way,” Trump wrote.

“He had much to do with the Election, without acknowledgment or credit, of Barack Hussein Obama, a man who Jesse could not stand. He loved his family greatly, and to them I send my deepest sympathies and condolences. Jesse will be missed!” Trump added.

Jackson leaves behind his wife, Jacqueline, their five children, as well as another daughter, Ashley Jackson.

A public ceremony is scheduled to take place in Chicago.

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