civil rights leader and former presidential candidate Jesse Jackson dies aged 84

Reverend Jesse Jackson, the Baptist minister and longtime civil rights activist, has died at the age of 84, his family confirmed.

In a statement, his family described him as a “servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world.”

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

Jackson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017. He died surrounded by family.

He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, and his children Santita, Jesse Jr., Jonathan, Jusef and Jacqueline, as well as several grandchildren.

Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson rose to national prominence during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. He worked closely with Dr Martin Luther King Jr. and was present in Memphis when King was assassinated in 1968. In the years that followed, Jackson led sit-ins and demonstrations advocating racial equality.

Jesse was a Civil Rights activist and two-time Presidential candidate (Picture: Getty)

He was a member of Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s circle (Picture: Getty)

He later founded Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) and the Rainbow Coalition, organisations focused on voter engagement, economic empowerment and social justice.

Jackson made history with his bids for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, becoming one of the first Black candidates to mount a serious national campaign. Though he did not secure the nomination, his campaigns expanded political participation among minority voters and reshaped the party’s coalition.

Beyond electoral politics, Jackson remained active in international and domestic causes, including efforts to secure the release of foreign nationals detained in Kuwait in the early 1990s. In 2000, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honour.

He ran for President in 1984 and 1988 (Picture: Bettman Archive)

Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Honour in 2000 (Picture: AFP)

In later years, Jackson continued to speak out on political issues. In 2019, he said: “You can’t fight fire with fire and expect to put it out.”

A year later, he criticised comments made by then-President Donald Trump about minority voters, saying Americans “deserve better.”

Until his death, Jackson remained an advocate for social justice and voter registration, leaving a lasting imprint on American political and civil rights history.