Civil rights leader and Baptist minister Jesse Jackson, who was also a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr., has died at the age of 84 according to his family. Jackson had also run for the Democratic presidential nomination twice, and was considered an inspirational orator.
“Our father was a servant leader – not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the Jackson family said.
Jackson was known for his inspiring oratory, and crusades for Black Americans and other marginalized groups. He advocated for the poor and the underrepresented on a variety of issues, ranging from voting rights and job opportunities to education and health care. Through his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, he brought calls for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms, pressuring executives to help make America a more open and equitable society.
Operation PUSH was formed after Jackson broke with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. This organization based on Chicago’s South Side declared a sweeping mission, from diversifying workforces to registering voters in communities of color nationwide.
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As a young organizer in Chicago, Jackson was called to meet with King at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis shortly before King was killed. Since then, he had publicly positioned himself as King’s successor.
He ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, attracting Black voters and many white liberals with unexpectedly strong campaigns. However, he ended up falling short of becoming the first Black major party White House nominee, and never held elected office.
Jackson had also served as Democratic President Bill Clinton’s special envoy to Africa in the 1990s. He was also instrumental in securing the release of a number of Americans and others held overseas in places including Syria, Cuba, Iraq and Serbia.
Jackson faced major health issues towards the end of his life, including Parkinson’s disease. However, he kept on fighting for racial justice. “Even if we win,” he told marchers in Minneapolis before the officer whose knee kept George Floyd from breathing was convicted of murder, “it’s relief, not victory. They’re still killing our people. Stop the violence, save the children. Keep hope alive.”
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In 2024, Jackson appeared at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and at a City Council meeting to show support for a resolution backing a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
Earlier this year doctors confirmed a diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy, a life-threatening neurological disorder. He was admitted to a hospital in November 2025. Jackson and his wife had survived being hospitalized for COVID-19 during the coronavirus pandemic. Jackson, who was vaccinated early, urged Black people in particular to get protected because of higher risks for bad outcomes.
“It’s America’s unfinished business — we’re free, but not equal,” Jackson told the AP. “There’s a reality check that has been brought by the coronavirus, that exposes the weakness and the opportunity.”