By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
United States civil rights leader and Baptist minister, Reverend Jesse Jackson, died at the age of 84 on Tuesday, February 17.
In a statement announcing his demise, Jackson’s family hailed “his unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love.”
They described him as a servant leader to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked worldwide.
Impact Nigeria Newspaper highlights the defining moments in the life of the civil rights leader, from his early life, foray into politics, civil rights movement, and health challenges.
Jackson was born on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, Chicago, and grew up during the Jim Crow era, a period marked by racially discriminatory laws and practices in the American South.
His mother was a 16-year-old high school student and his biological father was a 33-year-old married man who lived nearby. Jackson’s mother would later marry another man who adopted him.
Jackson earned a football scholarship to the University of Illinois but later transferred to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, citing racial discrimination.
While in college, Jackson became active in the civil rights movement and was arrested after attempting to enter a whites-only public library in South Carolina.
He later attended Chicago Theological Seminary and was ordained a Baptist minister in 1968.
Jackson’s close association with civil rights icon, Martin Luther King Jr., earned him national prominence.
He worked alongside King in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, where he was given leadership responsibilities focused on expanding economic opportunities for Black communities.
Jackson was staying at the same location where King was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 4, 1968. His public account of King’s assassination later drew criticism from some of King’s associates.
Following King’s death, Jackson founded Operation PUSH in Chicago in the early 1970s.
In 1984, he established the National Rainbow Coalition, which later merged with Operation PUSH in 1996 to form the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. He stepped down as president of the organisation in 2023 after more than five decades of activism.
On the international diplomacy front, Jackson played a significant role, including securing the release of U.S. naval aviator l, Robert Goodman Jr., in 1984, prompting then-President Ronald Reagan to commend his efforts.
Jackson also later met Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in 1990 to negotiate the release of Americans detained after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.
He also helped secure the release of prisoners from Cuba and three U.S. airmen held in Serbia in 1999.
Jackson hosted a weekly programme on CNN from 1992 to 2000.
In 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the United States.
Jackson remained active in racial justice advocacy, including condemning the 2020 police killing of George Floyd.
He began his foray into politics when he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988.
His political move attracted Black voters and many white liberals in mounting strong campaigns, but he was not able to secure the slot of becoming the first Black major party White House nominee.
However, Jackson pursued his political ambitions in the 1980s, capturing large followership with his mesmerising oratory.
The political support he received as a Black candidate for a major party presidential election was only rivalled by fellow Chicagoan, Barack Obama, after his election as president in 2008.
In 1984, Jackson won 3.3 million votes in Democratic nominating contests, representing about 18 per cent of votes cast, and finished third behind eventual nominee Walter Mondale and Gary Hart in the race for the right to face Republican incumbent, Ronald Reagan.
Jackson’s candidacy lost momentum after it became public that Jackson had privately called Jewish people “Hymies” and New York “Hymietown.”
In 1988, Jackson was a more polished and mainstream candidate and came a close second in the Democratic race to face Republican, George H.W. Bush.
He gave eventual Democratic nominee, Michael Dukakis, a run for his money, winning 11 state primaries and caucuses, including several in the South, and securing 29 percent of nominating contests, representing 6.8 million votes.
The civil rights leader was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017. In November 2025, he was hospitalised after being diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), a rare neurological disorder.
PSP, according to the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, affects body movements, walking and balance, and eye movements.
The disease typically begins in a person’s 60s and shares some symptoms with Parkinson’s disease. Most people diagnosed with PSP develop severe disability within three to five years.
Jackson is survived by his wife, Jacqueline Brown, whom he married in 1962, their children, and extended family.
