Rev. Jesse Jackson Dies at 84
Reverend Jesse Jackson, the civil rights activist and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, has died at the age of 84. A prominent figure in Chicago, Jackson was recognized for his decades of leadership in social justice movements both in the city and nationally.
- A protégé of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he was with Dr. King on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis when he was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Jackson was appointed by King to lead the Chicago chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's Operation Breadbasket, which used boycotts to pressure businesses to hire African Americans and utilize Black-owned services. - Jackson ran for the Democratic presidential nomination twice, in 1984 and 1988, in campaigns that were the most successful for a Black candidate until Barack Obama. In his 1988 bid, he garnered 7 million votes and won 11 primaries and caucuses, briefly taking the lead in delegates over eventual nominee Michael Dukakis. - He had a significant career in international diplomacy, often acting as a private citizen to negotiate the release of Americans held captive abroad. He successfully secured the release of a downed Navy pilot from Syria in 1984, dozens of prisoners from Cuba the same year, and U.S. soldiers held in Kosovo in 1999. - In 1971, Jackson founded Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) in Chicago, which focused on the economic empowerment of Black communities. He later founded the National Rainbow Coalition in 1984, which merged with PUSH in 1996 to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, an organization that has pressured major corporations to implement affirmative action programs. - From 1991 to 1997, he served as a "shadow senator" for the District of Columbia, advocating for its statehood. - In 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. - Jackson was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2017 and later with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurological disorder. He stepped down from leading the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in 2023. - Two of his six children have held public office: Jesse Jackson Jr. is a former U.S. Representative, and Jonathan Jackson is a current member of Congress.
