Who was Jesse Jackson? US civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Junior's protege dies at 84

The Rev Jesse Jackson, a prominent personality in the civil rights movement for more than 50 years and a key contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988, has passed away at the age of 84. The cause of his death is still unknown. For over a decade, Jackson had progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), who was originally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He was also admitted to the hospital twice with Covid in recent years.

Who was Jesse Jackson?

Jesse Jackson was one of the most key figures of the 20th-century American civil rights movement, who paved the way for the progressive policies of Barack Obama, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Bernie Sanders in the 21st century. Along with being close to Dr Martin Luther King Jr, he was also a fixture in the civil rights movement and Democratic politics since the 1960s.

After Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination in 1968, he went on to become one of the most successful Black politicians of his generation. Two decades after Jackson’s second presidential bid, Barack Obama, the first Black president of the United States, paid tribute to him, saying Jackson helped pave the way for his own historic victory. Obama marked the moment in Chicago, a city closely associated with Jackson.

Jackson's early life and career

Jesse Jackson was born Jesse Louis Burns in 1941 to a teenage mother, Helen Burns. He later took the surname of his stepfather, Charles Jackson, while maintaining a relationship with his biological father, Noah L. Robinson. His early experiences with racial inequality shaped a lifelong commitment to justice.

The activism of Jackson began in earnest in 1960 in Greenville, South Carolina, when he led the “Greenville Eight” in a peaceful protest against library segregation, an act that resulted in his first arrest. He studied briefly at the University of Illinois on a football scholarship before transferring to North Carolina A&T, where he earned a degree in sociology.

He later moved to Chicago with his wife, Jacqueline Lavinia Brown, and pursued theological studies, eventually becoming an ordained Baptist minister in 1968 following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. A close associate of King, Jackson joined him in the Selma marches and later headed Operation Breadbasket within the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, focusing on economic empowerment for Black communities. His leadership style, however, sometimes drew criticism, particularly over financial management.

Jackson was present at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis when King was assassinated in 1968, an event that deeply marked him and shaped his public persona. In 1983, he launched a historic run for the Democratic presidential nomination, mobilising millions of Black voters and minorities. Although his campaign faced setbacks, including criticism over controversial associations, his efforts reshaped progressive politics.

In later decades, Jackson remained active in civil rights causes, from commemorating the Selma marches to supporting Black Lives Matter protests after the killing of George Floyd. His policy vision influenced a new generation of progressive leaders, including Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Despite personal and family scandals, Jackson’s legacy endures as one of expanding political participation, economic justice, and racial equality in the United States.

In 2008, Jesse Jackson initially expressed reservations about Barack Obama’s candidacy, accusing him of distancing himself from Black communities. However, when Obama’s historic victory became clear on November 4, Jackson was present in Chicago’s Grant Park, where his emotional, tearful reaction became an iconic image. Later, in 2017, Jackson developed Parkinson's disease, depriving him of the ability to walk and talk.

Four years later, he was admitted to a hospital due to COVID and subsequently spent several weeks in a rehabilitation facility. In 2025, he was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative condition known as progressive supranuclear palsy. At the end, he passed away on February 17, 2026, at the age of 84.