The Reverend Jesse Jackson, one of the best-known U.S. civil rights leaders, has died at the age 84.
His family said in a statement that Jackson “died peacefully on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family.”
He rose to prominence in the 1960s as a leader in Martin Luther King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Jackson was actually present when King was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., in 1968.
Jackson famously launched two social justice and activism organisations. In 1971, he founded Operation PUSH, followed by the National Rainbow Coalition.
Known for his civil rights activism, Jackson also ran for president in 1984, becoming the second African American to do so after Shirley Chisholm. He was a candidate for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination that year and again in 1988, but didn’t win the nomination.
In 2017, Jackson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He was hospitalized in November after being diagnosed with a degenerative condition.
The full Jackson family statement said: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Civil Rights leader and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Honorable Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. “He died peacefully on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family. “His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity. A tireless change agent, he elevated the voices of the voiceless from his Presidential campaigns in the 1980s to mobilising millions to register to vote – leaving an indelible mark on history.”
It continued: “Reverend Jackson is survived by his wife, Jacqueline; their children – Santita, Jesse Jr., Jonathan, Yusef, Jacqueline; daughter Ashley Jackson, and grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his mother, Helen Burns Jackson; father, Noah Louis Robinson; and stepfather, Charles Henry Jackson. ‘”‘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 honour his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.’ “Public observances will be held in Chicago. Final arrangements for Reverend Jackson’s celebration of life services, including all public events, will be released by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.”
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