Reverend Jesse Jackson Dies at 84, Civil Rights Pioneer Remembered

Reverend Jesse Jackson, a towering figure in the American civil rights movement, has died at 84. Rising from segregated South Carolina to national prominence, Jackson worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1960s and helped carry the movement forward after King’s assassination.

In 1971, he founded Operation PUSH to combat poverty and racism, later expanding his efforts through the Rainbow PUSH Coalition to advance economic justice. Jackson broke racial barriers with his historic presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988, registering millions of new voters and reshaping national politics.

He also pressured major corporations to diversify leadership and played a role in negotiating the release of Americans held overseas. In 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Jackson’s legacy helped redefine modern civil rights advocacy and expand Black political power in the United States.