CHICAGO, IL—On February 17, Civil Rights leader and activist, Jesse Louis Jackson passed away peacefully at his home in Chicago surrounded by family. He was 84.
“Our father was 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. 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,” the Jackson family said in a statement.
Jackson was active in the Civil Rights movement starting in the 1960s, where segregation still existed. Black students rode in the back of the school bus and did not use the same water fountains as Caucasian children.
He attended the University of Illinois on a football scholarship and transferred to North Carolina A&T where he played quarterback and was elected student body President. In 1964, he graduated with a B.S. degree in sociology.
He earned a scholarship to attend Chicago Theological Seminary, leaving in 1966, to join the civil rights movement. He was just three classes short of earning his Masters. He marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr. over the bridge in Selma.
Jackson was present with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, the day he was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel.
In 1971, Jackson founded the group, People United to Save Humanity (PUSH). In 1978, he called for unification between the Black population and the Republican party.
“Black people need the Republican Party to compete for us, so we have real alternatives. The Republican Party needs black people if it is ever to compete for National office,” Jackson stated.
In 1984, he ran for President losing to former Vice President Walter Mondale (D-MN). Jackson ran for President a second time in 1988 and lost to the former Massachusetts Governor, Michael Dukakis during the primary.
In 2000, Jackson was granted his theological degree on previous credits earning the title, Reverend Jesse Jackson.
Jackson had a difficult diagnosis treated through outpatient care at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago for a couple of years before publicly acknowledging his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in 2017.
The Parkinson’s was complicated by Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) that he endured for over a decade. The combination of the two ailments impedes the patient’s ability to swallow and walk.
Dr. Alveda King Pro Life Advocate and niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. posted the following message to her Facebook page.
“Deepest condolences to the family of icon Jesse Jackson. May God comfort you during this time of loss.”
The Jackson family indicated that a public celebration of life would be held in Chicago. Arrangements are to follow and will be announced by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
