Civil Rights Leader Rev. Jesse Jackson Dead at 84

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the fiery civil rights leader, Baptist minister, and two-time Democratic presidential candidate whose oratory and activism helped reshape American politics died Tuesday. He was 84.

His family announced the death in a statement, saying he “died peacefully” at home in Chicago, surrounded by loved ones. No immediate cause was given, but Jackson had battled progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare neurodegenerative condition, for more than a decade.

He was hospitalized in November for treatment related to the illness, which affects movement, balance, and swallowing, and had largely stepped back from public life in recent years. He stepped down as president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the advocacy group he founded, in 2023 citing health concerns.

Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), Jesse Jackson’s son and a current U.S. Representative, made the family’s official statement: “Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world.”

Born Jesse Louis Burns in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1941, Jackson grew up in segregation’s shadow and was ordained a Baptist minister in the 1960s. He became a close aide to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., joining the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and participating in key campaigns, including the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign. He was at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis when King was assassinated.

Jackson later moved to Chicago, where he founded Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) in 1971 to focus on economic empowerment and later merged it into Rainbow PUSH. He pushed corporations to hire more minorities, invest in underserved communities, and adopt fairer business practices—efforts that earned him both praise as a negotiator and criticism as confrontational.

His national profile soared with presidential runs in 1984 and 1988. In 1988, he won 11 primaries and caucuses, finishing second in the popular vote and galvanizing Black voters and a “Rainbow Coalition” of marginalized groups. His campaigns highlighted issues like poverty, voting rights, and U.S. foreign policy, influencing the Democratic Party’s platform.

Jackson’s legacy includes mediating international crises, such as securing the release of American hostages in Iraq and Cuba, and advocating for human rights globally.

Yet his career drew controversy. Critics accused him of inflammatory rhetoric, including a 1984 remark referring to New York City as “Hymietown” that drew widespread condemnation for antisemitism, which he apologized for. He also drew heated criticism for his relationship with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who said the Jewish community is to blame for Black oppression. He faced scrutiny over personal finances, his role in corporate negotiations, and allegations of exploiting racial tensions for political gain. In later years, some younger activists viewed his style as outdated compared to Black Lives Matter’s approach.

Jackson consistently framed his political activism in biblical language. He often used elements of the Exodus story, the prophets and the teachings of Jesus in speeches, inferring that the policies of the Democrat party were closely tied to a spiritual narrative. His comments often drew claims of hypocrisy as the Reverend also repeatedly said God was “not a Republican or Democrat.”

President Donald Trump and Jackson worked together on some initiatives during Trumps reign as New York’s real estate king. Jackson publicly priased Trump for hiring and promoting Black executives and hiring minority-owned businesses in his many real estate projects. The actions were rare for the city’s business elite at the time and won Trump praise from other civil rights leaders and organizations.

Trump and Jackson often appeared together at Jackson’s and other civil rights events.

Commenting on Jackson’s death, the president stated, “It was always my pleasure to help Jesse along the way.”

Trump outlined the ways the two worked together. “I provided office space for him and his Rainbow Coalition, for years, in the Trump Building at 40 Wall Street; Responded to his request for help in getting CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM passed and signed, when no other President would even try; Single handedly pushed and passed long term funding for Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs), which Jesse loved, but also, which other Presidents would not do; Responded to Jesse’s support for Opportunity Zones, the single most successful economic development package yet approved for Black business men/women, and much more,” the president said in a post on Truth Social.