Civil Rights Icon Jesse Jackson, Who Ran for President Twice, Dies at 84
Reverend Jesse Jackson, one of the most influential civil rights leaders of the 20th century who mounted historic presidential campaigns decades before America elected its first Black president, has died at the age of 84. According to a family statement, Jackson passed away on Tuesday surrounded by his loved ones. He had publicly disclosed his Parkinson's disease diagnosis in 2017.
"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 wrote in their announcement.
Connection to Martin Luther King Jr.
Jackson was a devoted follower of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was tragically present when King was assassinated in Memphis in April 1968. "We were traumatized to see him lying there soaked in blood, 39 years old," Jackson recalled in a later interview with the Guardian. "He'd done so much to make America better, built bridges, sacrificed his livelihood, sacrificed his life."
Jackson observed that "America loathes marchers but loves martyrs. The bullet in Memphis made Dr. King a martyr for the ages." Though he didn't officially succeed King, Jackson carried forward the struggle for justice and equality through highly visible activism.
Building Civil Rights Organizations
Jackson initially ran the Chicago office of Operation Breadbasket, the economic empowerment division of King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1971, following disagreements with SCLC leadership about his management approach, the charismatic Jackson—known for his powerful oratory and media presence—established his own organization called People United to Serve Humanity, commonly known as Operation PUSH.
He later founded the National Rainbow Coalition, a multiracial political organization, before merging both groups in the mid-1990s to create the Chicago-based Rainbow PUSH Coalition. This nonprofit worked to advance political and economic power for minority communities. Jackson served as president until stepping down in 2023.
Groundbreaking Presidential Campaigns
Jackson made history as the second Black Democrat to launch a serious presidential campaign, following Representative Shirley Chisholm's 1972 bid. During his first Democratic primary run in 1984, Jackson secured 18% of the vote, placing third behind Gary Hart and eventual nominee Walter Mondale.
His 1988 campaign proved even more successful, capturing 29% of Democratic votes and winning 13 primaries and caucuses, finishing second only to Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. Jackson's convention speeches showcased his legendary oratorical skills.
"My constituency is the desperate, the damned, the disinherited, the disrespected and the despised," he declared in his 1984 address. In 1988, he proclaimed, "This campaign has shown that politics need not be marketed by politicians, packaged by pollsters and pundits. Politics can be a moral arena where people come together to find common ground."
Political Advocacy Work
Beyond presidential politics, Jackson served as an unpaid, nonvoting shadow senator for Washington, D.C. in 1990, primarily advocating for DC statehood to grant the district voting representation in Congress. Throughout his decades of activism, Jackson remained a towering figure in American civil rights history, bridging the era of Martin Luther King Jr. with modern political movements.
