Remembering Jesse Jackson (1941-2026)
By • February 17, 2026 0 344
The Rev. Jesse Jackson died today at the age of 84, following a disease called progressive supranuclear palsy, that causes decline much like Parkinson’s disease.
Jackson was a civil rights icon and Baptist minister who worked tirelessly in the years post-Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination, criticizing corporations for their lack of corporate diversity. Jackson was a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, two-time presidential candidate and was one of the most well-known and recognizable Black activists.
The Jackson family said in a statement: “Our father was a servant leader—not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton also in a statement said Jackson “carried history in his footsteps and hope in his voice.”
Former president of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce Vincent Orange reflected on his time with Jackson. He supported Jackson during his presidential campaigns in 1984 and ’88. Orange said: “Reverend Jackson was more than a candidate. He was a movement. Through the founding of the Rainbow Coalition, he built bridges across racial, economic, and generational lines, teaching us that our strength lies in unity and shared purpose. He reminded the marginalized that they mattered. He lifted the fallen. He opened doors that had long been closed.”
The youngest daughter of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said in a social media post that Jackson was a “gifted negotiator and courageous bridge-builder.” She added that her family shared a long history with Jackson, rooted in a “shared commitment of justice and love.”
President Trump also chimed in with a tribute to Jackson, saying he knew him “well,” and he was a “good man.”
As Orange ended in his tribute:
“Reverend Jackson’s purpose in life was clear: to open doors, to fight injustice, and to affirm the humanity of all people. His love for his people, and indeed for all humankind, will forever remain in our hearts.”
