Rev. Jesse Jackson, a civil rights icon, Baptist minister, and two-time Democratic presidential candidate, has died at the age of 84.
The Jackson family confirmed his passing in a statement on Tuesday morning, Febuary 17.
“His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity. A tireless change agent, he elevated the voices of the voiceless – from his Presidential campaigns in the 1980s to mobilizing millions to register to vote – leaving an indelible mark on history,” the statement read.
Jackson had been hospitalized in recent months and was under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), the Rainbow PUSH Coalition has said.
His tireless dedication to racial equality spanned more than six decades and helped shape the modern Civil Rights Movement.
A protégé of Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson fought on the front lines of the battle against Jim Crow segregation laws as a college student. He stood out for his rousing speeches, radical ideas, and passion for racial equality. Jackson would become a key figure in the civil rights movement that pressed for broader economic opportunities for Black people through the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, or SCLC, and more recently, his organization, the Rainbow PUSH coalition.
Jackson profoundly shaped American politics, inspiring a generation of minority leaders and moving the Democratic Party’s platform toward social and economic progressivism as it entered the 21st century.
He was born Jesse Louis Burns October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, to Helen Burns, 16, and Noah Louis Robinson, a 33-year-old married neighbor. However Jackson would not learn the identity of his biological father until he was 7 years-old.
