Hearts are heavy not just in Black America, but in every corner of the African diaspora. Jesse Jackson, the renowned civil rights activist, politician, and ordained Baptist minister passed away Tuesday morning (Feb. 17). He was 84.
Suggested Reading
Jackson was born in Greenville, S.C., on Oct. 8, 1941, to Helen Burns and Noah Louis Robinson. He attended North Carolina A&T where he joined Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc and graduated in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology. Jackson — born Jesse Louis Burns — then attended Chicago Theological Seminary, but dropped out in 1966, just three classes short of graduation, because he felt that he needed to focus his attention on the Civil Rights movement.
He started his career in public service as a protégé of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches organized by James Bevel. His passion and leadership ability impressed King so much that he was given a role in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC.)
In 1966, King and Bevel asked Jackson to oversee the Chicago branch of the SCLC’s economic arm, Operation Breadbasket and he was promoted to national director of the organization the following year.
King considered Jackson a close friend and advisor; therefore, he traveled with him often. Which led to him being with King on April 4, 1967, the day King was assassinated. He was on the balcony outside King’s second-floor room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis and is in the infamous photo taken just after King was shot by an assassin’s bullet pointing at where the shot came from.
After King’s death, Jackson founded People United to Save humanity (Operation PUSH) on Dec. 25, 1971. The organization’s name was later changed to People United to Serve Humanity. And he will forever be remembered for how he bolstered the psyche of Black person in every part of the world with the words, “I am— somebody.”
In 1984, Jackson became the second Black person (after Shirley Chisholm) to mount a national campaign for president of the United States. He ran as a Democrat and was not taken seriously as a candidate for the nomination. He surprised many when he took third place behind Senator Gary Hart and former Vice President Walter Mondale, who eventually won the nomination.
Jackson married Jacqueline Lavinia Brown on Dec. 31, 1962, and together they had five children: Santita, Jesse Jr., Jonathan Luther, Yusef DuBois and Jacqueline Lavinia. Jackson’s public reputation took a hit in 2001 when it was revealed that he had an affair with someone he worked with, Karin Stanford. That relationship resulted in the birth of daughter Ashley Jackson in May 1999.
Jackson began to have significant health challenges starting in late 2010s. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2017 and in August 2021, he and his wife were both hospitalized with COVID-19. That hospital stay was extended while he continued to receive treatment for Parkinson’s.
In November 2025, news of Jackson being on life support dominated headlines. Jackson, who was re-diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) in April, a rare neurological condition that affects certain areas of your brain, causing you to think, walk, move your eyes, and even swallow differently, was hospitalized at the Western Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
His family cleared up false reports about his health and confirmed that the activist was in stable condition.
“The family of Reverend Jesse L Jackson, Sr., wishes to clarify his current medical condition following inaccurate media reports. Reverend Jackson is in stable condition and breathing without the assistance of machines,” his family clarified.
Despite his health challenges, Jackson’s son Yusef said he still called on 2,000 churches to prepare 2,000 baskets of food for those in need during the holiday season.
In 2024, Jackson made a rare public appearance at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where he was honored for his work with the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and his 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns. He did not give a speech, but did give a thumbs up and held hands with some supporters.
Tributes are pouring in, including a lengthy response from Rev. Al Sharpton.
“Today, I lost the man who first called me into purpose when I was just twelve years old,” Sharpton wrote in part. “And our nation lost one of its greatest moral voices. The Reverend Dr. Jesse Louis Jackson was not simply a civil rights leader; he was a movement unto himself. He carried history in his footsteps and hope in his voice.”
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.