Civil Rights Leader Jesse Jackson Dies at 84

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The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a renowned civil rights leader who marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and later ran for president, has died at the age of 84. Jackson, who founded the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago, was hospitalized in November and had been diagnosed with a degenerative condition called progressive supranuclear palsy. He had previously revealed a Parkinson's disease diagnosis in 2017.

Why it matters

Jesse Jackson was a towering figure in the civil rights movement, continuing the work of Martin Luther King Jr. and advocating for disenfranchised groups both in the U.S. and abroad. His presidential campaigns in the 1980s also helped pave the way for future Black candidates. His death marks the passing of a true pioneer and icon of the struggle for racial equality.

The details

Jackson became involved in the civil rights movement in the 1960s, joining King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference and leading the organization's Chicago chapter. He also founded the People United to Save Humanity (PUSH) organization and the Rainbow Coalition, which later merged. Despite never holding elected office, Jackson remained a major political force, working as a special envoy under President Bill Clinton and championing causes like D.C. statehood.

• Jackson was hospitalized for observation in November 2025.
• Jackson revealed his Parkinson's disease diagnosis in 2017.
• Jackson's father, Noah Lewis Robinson Sr., died of Parkinson's in 1997 at age 88.

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