The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after King, has died at 84

The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, iconic civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate who emerged as a prominent voice for racial equality following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., died Tuesday at age 84, surrounded by family at his home.

His daughter, Santita Jackson, confirmed his passing, bringing an end to a storied life of activism that spanned more than five decades of American history.

Jackson’s rise to prominence began when he was summoned to meet with King at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis shortly before King’s 1968 assassination. In the aftermath of that tragedy, Jackson positioned himself as King’s successor, carrying forward the civil rights movement’s mantle through changing eras.

“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 in a statement. “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family.”

Throughout his lifetime of advocacy, Jackson championed causes ranging from voting rights and employment opportunities to education and healthcare. His Rainbow/PUSH Coalition became a powerful vehicle for pressuring corporate America to create more equitable hiring practices and economic opportunities for people of color.

Jackson’s signature message, expressed through his poem “I am Somebody,” resonated with Americans across racial lines: “I may be poor, but I am Somebody; I may be young, but I am Somebody; I may be on welfare, but I am Somebody.” This mantra reflected his own journey from humble beginnings in the segregated South to becoming America’s most recognized civil rights figure after King.

Despite suffering profound health challenges in recent years, including a rare brain disorder that affected his mobility and speech, Jackson remained active in social justice causes. In 2024, despite his declining health, he appeared at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and at a City Council meeting supporting a resolution backing a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

During the protests following George Floyd’s murder, Jackson told marchers in Minneapolis that even a conviction would bring “relief, not victory,” because “they’re still killing our people.” His message remained consistent throughout his life: “Stop the violence, save the children. Keep hope alive.”

Jackson’s oratorical style, deeply influenced by Black church traditions, was distinctive and powerful. He deployed memorable rhyming phrases and slogans like “Hope not dope” and “If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it then I can achieve it” to deliver his messages with maximum impact.

Not without critics, Jackson was sometimes accused of grandstanding or seeking the spotlight. Reflecting on his legacy in a 2011 interview with the Associated Press, he said, “A part of our life’s work was to tear down walls and build bridges, and in a half century of work, we’ve basically torn down walls. Sometimes when you tear down walls, you’re scarred by falling debris, but your mission is to open up holes so others behind you can run through.”

Born Jesse Louis Jackson on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, he was the son of high school student Helen Burns and Noah Louis Robinson. Later adopted by Charles Henry Jackson, who married his mother, young Jesse excelled as a quarterback in high school and initially accepted a football scholarship from the University of Illinois.

After reportedly being told Black people couldn’t play quarterback, he transferred to North Carolina A&T, where he maintained his athletic prowess while becoming an honor student and student body president. There, he became immersed in the Civil Rights Movement during the height of lunch counter sit-ins.

By 1965, Jackson had joined King’s historic voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery. King subsequently sent him to Chicago to launch Operation Breadbasket, an effort to pressure companies to hire Black workers through the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Jackson was with King during his assassination at the Lorraine Motel, though his claim that King died in his arms has been questioned by some who were present. In 1971, Jackson formed Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity), expanding his mission to include voter registration and corporate diversity initiatives.

Jackson twice sought the Democratic nomination for president, in 1984 and 1988, winning 13 primaries and caucuses during his second run — unprecedented achievements for a Black candidate before Barack Obama’s successful campaign. Civil rights leader John Lewis noted that Jackson’s candidacies “opened some doors that some minority person will be able to walk through and become president.”

On the international stage, Jackson secured diplomatic victories including the release of Navy Lt. Robert Goodman from Syria in 1984 and the 1990 release of foreign hostages held in Iraq. In 1999, he negotiated freedom for three Americans imprisoned in Yugoslavia. President Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000.

In his final years, Jackson continued advocating for justice, joining Ahmaud Arbery’s parents in court during the trial of his killers and pressing for federal charges in the Laquan McDonald case. He disclosed his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2017, and doctors later confirmed he had progressive supranuclear palsy, a life-threatening neurological disorder.

During the pandemic, Jackson and his wife survived COVID-19 hospitalization. He remained committed to addressing inequality until the end, telling the AP: “It’s America’s unfinished business — we’re free, but not equal.”

Jackson leaves behind his wife Jacqueline, their five children, and his daughter Ashley from a relationship outside his marriage. His son Jesse Jackson Jr. is currently seeking reelection to Congress in the 2026 midterms.