Civil Rights Leader Jesse Jackson Dies at 84

Rev. Jesse Jackson has been called home. The civil rights leader, two-time presidential candidate, and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, passed away on Tuesday, his family said. He was 84 years old.

“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 statement read. “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.” 

As NewsOne previously reported, Jackson, who had been under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurodegenerative condition with no known cure, was hospitalized last November and released later the same month. In 2017, Jackson publicly shared that he was living with Parkinson’s disease. He received the updated diagnosis of PSP in April of 2025.

The Association of Frontotemporal Degeneration explained that PSP, which can resemble symptoms found in Parkinson’s disease, is associated with a decline in motor functioning and can impact coordination and movement of the mouth, tongue, and throat. 

After his 2017 diagnosis, Jackson shared that he and his family were adjusting to their new normal and that he was undergoing various lifestyle changes, including physical therapy, in an effort to slow the disease’s progression. At the time, he said symptoms were present for about three years, but he ignored the signs until he couldn’t ignore them anymore. Jackson’s father had also been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. 

Jackson has been a political fixture for over 60 years, organizing at the forefront of racial and economic justice. As previously reported by NewsOne, Jackson got his start as a student organizer at North Carolina A&T. Following in the footsteps of the Greensboro four who led a sit-in at a Woolworth’s lunch counter, Jackson led a sit-in during the summer of 1960 to desegregate the Greenville County Public Library in South Carolina, where he grew up. He also organized “wade-ins” at all white pools and “watch-ins” at segregated movie theaters. 

His experience with student organizing launched his civil rights career, putting him in the orbit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Jackson evolved into a national figure at the side of the legendary leader. Six years after leading the Greenville sit-in, Jackson was named the first Chicago director of Operation Bread Basket, a program of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) led by King. Jackson became the national director a year later. 

Jackson’s work with Operation Breadbasket served as the foundation for Operation PUSH, a Black-led economic and political empowerment organization founded in 1971. In the wake of his first presidential bid in 1984, Jackson formed The National Rainbow Coalition. He moved to unite progressives across race and class in a “coalition of conscience.” The two organizations merged in 1996 to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

In addition to his civil rights work, Jackson is remembered for his bold presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988. He taught a generation the importance of hope in the face of adversity and building collective power.

SEE ALSO:

How Jesse Jackson Changed American Elections

The Civil Rights Journey Of Rev. Jesse Jackson