Jesse Jackson during an interview on July 1, 1983 (Photo: Library of Congress’s Prints and Photograph Division, Public domain)
On February 17, 2026, Jesse Jackson, one of the most prominent civil rights leaders in the United States, died at 84. Throughout his legendary career within activism and politics, Jackson advocated tirelessly for racial and economic justice, worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and eventually launched his own presidential campaigns in the 1980s.
Born on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, S.C., Jackson experienced segregation from a young age, forced to exist in spaces separate from his white peers. While a student at North Carolina A&T, a historically Black university, he became increasingly involved in the civil rights movement and was arrested alongside seven other students in 1960 following a silent demonstration in a whites-only library. In June 1963, he also led a march comprising hundreds of other students and was later arrested the next day. Once he graduated in 1964, he moved to Chicago and enrolled at the Chicago Theological Seminary, training to become a religious leader.
A year later, Jackson’s presence within the civil rights movement exploded, thanks in no small part to Dr. King. Amid the brutalization of Black demonstrators in Selma, Ala., in March 1965, Jackson rallied some 20 other students and a third of the seminary’s faculty to head south, where they planned to participate in a march for voting rights. He soon caught Dr. King’s attention, who offered him a staff job with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). At 24 years old, he was SCLC’s youngest member and headed up the Chicago chapter of the SCLC’s Operation Breadbasket, an initiative predicated on boycotting businesses that did not offer basic courtesy or job opportunities to Black communities. By 1967, Jackson had achieved national recognition within the organization and beyond.
In 1968, Jackson was with Dr. King when he was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. Jackson had already created rifts within SCLC due to his habits of being brash and mythologizing, but he sparked even more controversy when, the next day, he appeared on TV with his clothes still smeared with King’s blood. Still, he assumed leadership of the civil rights movement following Dr. King’s assassination.
As tensions continued to ripple within SCLC, Jackson broke off from the coalition in 1971 to found Operation PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity). The organization focused on eradicating class inequality, racism, and other forms of discrimination through inner-city education and affirmative action programs, among similar initiatives. He also launched the National Rainbow Coalition, a multiracial alliance of Black, white, Latino, Asian, Indigenous, and LGBTQ people in support of civil rights, which later merged with PUSH.
In many ways, PUSH paved the way for Jackson’s campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. He entered the race in October 1983, standing as the first presidential candidate to significantly advocate for gay rights, while appealing to a broader slate of voters aside from white, moderate, and middle-class Americans.
“A Democratic party that now represents a multicultural America and has someone like Kamala Harris as the (former) Vice President and Obama as the former President began in many ways with those Jackson campaigns,” David Masciotra, author of I Am Somebody: Why Jesse Jackson Matters, told CNN.
Though he ultimately lost his nomination, Jackson won more than 18% of the primary vote, alongside a handful of primaries and caucuses. He built on that track record four years later, winning 11 primaries and caucuses. He lost once more, but his efforts nevertheless paved a path toward inclusive politics and, as many scholars point out, Barack Obama’s eventual victory in 2008.
In 2017, Jackson announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Last November, he was hospitalized due to progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare yet severe neurodegenerative condition. On February 17, 2026, he died “peacefully,” according to his family, though their statement did not cite a cause.
“[Jackson’s] unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity,” his family remarked. “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 legendary civil rights leader Jesse Jackson died on February 17, 2026, at 84 years old.
Jesse Jackson surrounded by marchers carrying signs advocating for the Hawkins-Humphrey Bill for full employment near the White House in Washington, D.C., on January 15, 1975 (Photo: Thomas J. O‘Halloran, Public domain)
Throughout his career in politics and activism, Jackson advocated tirelessly for racial and economic justice, worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and eventually launched his own presidential campaigns in the 1980s.
Jesse Jackson campaigning in San Francisco’s Castro District on June 6, 1988. (Photo: Brian McMillen via Wikimedia Commons, CC 4.0)
Sources: The Rev. Jesse Jackson, pioneering civil rights activist and racial ‘pathfinder,’ dies at 84; How Jesse Jackson paved way for Barack Obama – and helped change US; Jesse Jackson obituary; Jesse Jackson, Charismatic Champion of Civil Rights, Dies at 84
Related Articles:
RIP Robert Duvall: Iconic Actor With a Legacy of Diverse Roles Dies at Age 95
RIP James Van Der Beek: ‘Dawson’s Creek’ and ‘Varsity Blues’ Star Dies at 48
RIP Frank Gehry: Legendary Postmodern Architect Has Died at 96