Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Activist and Religious Leader, Dead at 84

"Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” his family said in a statement Obituary Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Activist and Religious Leader, Dead at 84 "Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” his family said in a statement By Jon Blistein Jon Blistein Contact Jon Blistein by Email Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Activist and Religious Leader, Dead at 84 ‘Greatness Never Dies’: Adam Sandler, Viola Davis, and More Honor Robert Duvall Trump Admin Ordered to Restore Slavery Exhibits Stripped From Historic Site in Philly View all posts by Jon Blistein February 17, 2026 Rev. Jesse Jackson, Director of PUSH (People United To Save Humanity) circa 1975, in Chicago, Ill. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Rev. Jesse Jackson, the towering civil rights activist and religious leader who worked to improve economic conditions for Black communities and advocated for social justice causes around the world, died on Tuesday. He was 84. Jackson’s death was confirmed by his family, who said in a statement that he “died peacefully” while surrounded by family. “Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the family’s statement continued. “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.” In November 2025, Jackson was hospitalized in Chicago where he was put under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurological disorder that can affect body movements and balance. PSP is similar to Parkinson’s, which Jackson was originally diagnosed with in 2013. His PSP diagnosis was confirmed in April 2025. For more than 50 years, Jackson was one of the most prominent activists in the United States. He got his start in the Sixties, working closely with Martin Luther King Jr., before going on to found two advocacy groups, Operation PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity) and the National Rainbow Coalition. (These two were later consolidated into the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.) His opposition to Ronald Reagan led him to launch two presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988. Though both fell short, Jackson registered millions of new voters and significantly over-performed expectations, finishing third in 1984 (behind Gary Hart and Walter Mondale) and second in 1988 (behind Michael Dukakis). For a brief moment in ’88, he even took the delegate lead over Dukakis after a massive win in the Michigan caucus. As the most prominent and successful Black candidate for president at that time, Jackson helped set the stage for the election of Barack Obama 20 years later. But it was also reforms he advocated for in 1988, which changed how delegates were distributed during the Democratic primary, that made Obama’s victory possible, too. And Jackson’s campaigns, with their unabashedly progressive platforms, set a mold that future longshot, outsider candidates on the left, like Bernie Sanders, would follow for decades to come. Editor’s picks The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century “The issues that we raised were resonating,” Jackson recently recalled in Abby Phillip’s book, A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power. “Our issues were on time, issues about economic justice and shared economic security, a connection between family farms and urban workers, how Blacks and whites had to relate together, and browns. So, it was in full gear. We used to call it ‘poor campaign, rich message.’ Our message was winning.” Born Jesse Burns on Oct. 8, 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson was the son of a high school student, Helen Burns, and her 33-year-old neighbor, Noah Robinson. Helen eventually married Charles Henry Jackson, who adopted Jesse and gave his stepson his last name. (Jackson learned the identity of his biological father at a young age and maintained a relationship with him throughout his life.) Of growing up in the Jim Crow South, Jackson told The New York Times in 1987, “I remember being taught my place.” He attended segregated schools and sat at the back of the bus until the Montgomery bus boycotts of 1955 (Jackson was 14 at the time). A good student and a standout athlete, Jackson earned a scholarship to play football at the University of Illinois, but left the predominately white school after one year. He transferred to the historically Black North Carolina Agricultural & Technical College, where he continued to play football, but also became involved in the civil rights movement. He then attended the Chicago Theological Seminary, but dropped out before graduating to work f