Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Further details of public observances will be announced.
Editor’s note: A previous headline stated that Jackson was a former presidential candidate. This is not entirely correct, as he ran twice to become the Democratic nominee, but he finished third and second. We apologize.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a towering figure of the U.S. civil rights movement who later mounted two presidential campaigns, has died at 84, his family announced in a press release on Instagram.
He passed away peacefully on Tuesday morning, surrounded by relatives, according to the statement.
“His wavering commitment to justice, equality and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity,” the statement reads.
Throughout his life, Jackson remained a prominent voice for racial justice and political inclusion in the United States and abroad.
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Early activism
Born in Greenville, South Carolina, on Oct. 8, 1941, Jackson grew up in the segregated South. An honors student, he earned a football scholarship to the University of Illinois before completing his degree at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College in 1964.
He joined the civil rights movement as a student activist and later left Chicago Theological Seminary to work alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama.
Jackson became part of King’s inner circle and was present in Memphis in 1968 when King was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel.
Political rise
Ordained in 1968, Jackson went on to lead Operation Breadbasket in Chicago and later founded the organization PUSH. In 1984, he launched a presidential bid, followed by a second run in 1988, winning several primary contests and broadening Black voter participation.
Although he never secured the Democratic nomination, Jackson remained influential. He helped negotiate the release of detainees overseas, advocated for Washington, D.C., statehood as a “shadow senator,” and served as a special envoy under President Bill Clinton.
In 2000, Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Years of health issues
Jackson had faced mounting health challenges in recent years.
He disclosed in 2017 that he had Parkinson’s disease, describing it as a “physical challenge” while vowing to continue his advocacy.
In November, doctors said he had been diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative neurological disorder.
Public observances will be held in Chicago, with further details to be announced.
Sources: Family statement, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, CBS News, Encyclopedia Britannica
