Jesse Jackson’s Passing Leaves Behind Lasting Legacy
For nearly 84 years, Jesse Jackson, a civil rights icon, wasn’t just a father and servant leader, but someone who took his faith seriously. As a Baptist minister and two-time presidential candidate, Jackson was known for his charisma, kind spirit, and constant advocacy. Standing up for the oppressed, voiceless, and overlooked around the world, many are now missing his constant presence after his death on Tuesday.
In conversations with Jackson’s family, Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton explained Jackson as one of the greatest moral voices of all time. He was a man who “carried in his footsteps and hope in his voice,” said Sharpton. “Reverend Jackson stood wherever dignity was under attack, from apartheid abroad to injustice at home. His voice echoed in boardrooms and in jail cells," he continued.
After fighting numerous long, undisclosed, decade-long illnesses, he passed away peacefully in Chicago, surrounded by his closest family and friends. Prior to his death, Jackson had been admitted to a hospital in November and was fighting progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), according to the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. PSP causes patients to have immense difficulty walking and swallowing, and can lead to deadly complications. It was also revealed in 2017 that he was fighting Parkinson’s.
Public observations for Jackson will be held in Chicago, with future plans for a celebration of life to come. This event will be announced by the PUSH Coalition.
Jackson was born in Greenville, SC, though he rose to fame after his contributions alongside Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. According to NBC News, his activism spanned decades, “including two runs for the Democratic presidential nomination, in 1984 and 1988.” Calling his job a dangerous mission, but a necessary one, his death gives each of us great responsibility: to care for the poor and those who don’t have a voice to speak up for themselves.
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Photo Credit: ©Getty Images / LUDOVIC MARIN / Contributor
Originally published February 17, 2026.
