What we're covering
• The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a towering civil rights leader whose moral vision and fiery oratory reshaped the Democratic Party and America, has died, his son said today.
• President Donald Trump praised Jackson, 84, as “a force of nature like few others before him,” while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries remembered him as a “voice for the voiceless” and source of hope in fight for racial justice.
• In other tributes, civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton described Jackson as his mentor and “a movement unto himself,” while Bernice King posted a photo of Jackson alongside her father, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr, with the words, “Both now ancestors.”
Jackson was a "living bridge between generations," Martin Luther King III says
Martin Luther King III and his wife Arndrea Waters King called Rev. Jesse Jackson a “living bridge between generations.”
“A towering voice and a devoted servant of justice. Reverend Jackson was more than a civil rights advocate — he was a living bridge between generations, carrying forward the unfinished work and sacred promise of the Civil Rights Movement,” the pair said in a statement.
The Kings added that Jackson had faith in the power of action and said that their hearts are with his loved ones, as well as the “countless people whose lives were touched by his ministry and movement.”
Jackson was "a lifelong soldier for justice," NAACP says
The Rev. Jesse Jackson was “a lifelong soldier for justice” and “a transformative leader whose life’s work is deeply woven into the history, mission, and enduring impact of our Association and the nation,” the NAACP said in a statement honoring his life.
“As a young organizer in the 1960s, he labored alongside NAACP leaders, spoke at several national conventions, marched with our members, and helped expand the national movement for racial equality into a broad, people-powered coalition demanding systemic change,” the association said.
In a joint statement, the leaders of the NAACP continued: “His work advanced Black America at every turn. He challenged this nation to live up to its highest ideals, and he reminded our movement that hope is both a strategy and a responsibility. His historic run for president inspired millions and brought race to the forefront of American politics.”
Kamala Harris on Jackson: “He instilled in us that we were somebody”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris wrote a tribute to Jesse Jackson in a social media post this morning, saying Jackson “let us know our voices mattered. He instilled in us that we were somebody.”
The former vice president shared an anecdote about receiving many a “thumbs up or honk of support” while driving around with a “Jesse Jackson for President” bumper sticker during her time in law school.
“Today and every day, we will carry forward his call to “Keep hope alive,”” her post concluded.
Trump acknowledges passing of "good man" Rev. Jesse Jackson
President Donald Trump acknowledged the passing of civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, whom he called “a good man” and “a force of nature like few others before him.”
Trump also used his history with Jackson and his Rainbow Coalition to defend his character after the president was recently criticized for posting (and then deleting) a racist video.
“Despite the fact that I am falsely and consistently called a Racist by the Scoundrels and Lunatics on the Radical Left, Democrats ALL, it was always my pleasure to help Jesse along the way,” Trump said. He ended the lengthy social media post with condolences to the Jackson family.
“He loved his family greatly, and to them I send my deepest sympathies and condolences. Jesse will be missed!” Trump said.
Back in 1999, Jackson praised Trump, then a real estate developer, at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition Wall St. Project Conference, saying Trump gave them space for the Wall St. project.
However, during Trump’s campaign for president in 2016, when he was promoting the idea that then-President Barack Obama was not born in the United States, Jackson criticized Trump, telling Bloomberg Television, Trump “saw a lie as a victory.”
South Carolina GOP Leadership pay tribute to Greenville native Jackson
Republican South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and GOP Senator Lindsey Graham posted statements paying tribute to Jesse Jackson’s life following his passing. Jackson was born in Greenville, South Carolina in 1941 to a cotton grader and hairdresser.
McMaster announced that he will lower the flags over the state capitol in Columbia, South Carolina, to honor Jackson’s memory and legacy. He described Jackson as an “icon” in the civil rights movement.
“A native son of South Carolina, and an icon of the civil rights movement, the Reverend Jesse Jackson was a prominent voice in our nation’s political and cultural dialogue. Peggy and I are saddened to learn of his passing,” McMaster said.
Senator Graham offered condolences while commending Jackson as a “larger-than-life figure,” working “to make America live up to its potential.”
“I am sorry to hear of the passing of Reverend Jesse Jackson, a native of South Carolina. He was a larger-than-life figure who passionately pushed for his causes, always striving to make America live up to its potential. He led a long and consequential life, and he will be missed by his family and friends,” Graham wrote on X. “May he Rest in Peace.”
Alveda King remembers spending time with Jackson during civil rights movement
Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King Jr. who is an author and activist who has talked often about her uncle’s message at conservative rallies, spoke on Fox and Friends a short while ago, sharing memories of time she spent with Jesse Jackson during the civil rights movement.
“Believe it or not, I remember Reverend Jackson’s singing voice. He could rouse us with his singing voice,” King said, adding that she remembered “so many things” from that time period, including the pair marching.
King said that she “did not necessarily agree politically” with Jackson, adding that they “could have lively conversations,” but called him an “icon.”
“I pray for Reverend Jackson’s family at this time. It’s always a tremendous loss, and yes, he is with the ancestors. Isn’t that something?” she said.
Jeffries remembers Jackson as “the people’s champion”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries paid tribute in a post on X to civil rights pioneer and two-time presidential candidate Jesse Jackson, remembering him as a “voice for the voiceless” and source of hope in fight for racial justice.
Jeffries expressed gratitude for Jackson’s decadeslong service as a selfless civil rights leader, calling him “the people’s champion.”
“We are thankful for the incredible service of Rev. Jesse Jackson to the nation and his profound sacrifice as the people’s champion,” Jeffries added. “May he forever rest in power.”
Jackson was a “moral voice” for those in power, former White House chief of staff says
Former Obama White House chief of staff and former mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, praised the late Jesse Jackson as a “moral voice” for those in power, including himself.
Having known Jackson as a citizen, mayor and White House chief of staff, Emanuel said Jackson “challenged all of us and he made us better.”
“We had a complicated relationship,” Emanuel told CNN’s Kate Bolduan, later saying he meant it not as criticism but as an observation of his power “as a moral voice, a political voice, and an influential voice.”
Emanuel added that Jackson tried to carry out politics without limits of “race or ethnicity,” adding: “There’s no doubt Jesse Jackson was not a guest here on Earth, but his name will be in the history books and he made an imprint.”
“America has lost one of its great moral voices," Warnock reflects on Jackson's legacy
Sen. Raphael Warnock shared the impact that Jesse Jackson’s presidential run had on him as a child, while recognizing the late civil rights icon for being a champion of “racial justice.”
He continued: “From his early days as a young staffer with Dr. King onto the national stage, he fought for freedom, racial justice, equality, and for the human dignity of the marginalized and the poor. As a kid growing up in public housing while watching him run for President, Rev. Jesse Jackson gave me a glimpse of what is possible and taught me to say, “I am somebody!” As an adult, I was proud to call him a friend.”
The senator also remembered Jackson as a gifted orator, saying, “With an eloquence and rhythmic rhetoric all his own, Jesse Jackson reminded America that equal justice is not inevitable; it requires vigilance and commitment, and for freedom fighters, sacrifice.”
Warnock went on to say that Jackson’s “legacy will remain a beacon for generations to come, and I pray it inspires us to continue the work he started.”
"Both now ancestors," Bernice King posts picture of Jackson and Martin Luther King Jr.
Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., posted a photograph of her father alongside Jesse Jackson with the caption “both now ancestors,” touching on the legacy of the two leaders.
Jackson was a protégé of King, becoming one of the most transformative civil rights leaders in America following King’s assassination in 1968.
In a separate statement, Bernice King said Jackson “devoted his life to lifting people in poverty, the marginalized, and those pushed to society’s edges.”
He was a “gifted negotiator and a courageous bridge‑builder, serving humanity by bringing calm into tense rooms and creating pathways where none existed,” she said.
This post has been updated with additional information.
CNN sat down with Jackson on 50th anniversary of MLK Jr.’s death
CNN’s Victor Blackwell sat down with Rev. Jesse Jackson and Ambassador Andrew Young in 2018 to mark the 50th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s death.
From the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, Jackson and Young reflected on King and his death.
Watch the moment here:
Read more here.
"It's a mistake to even limit our history to a month," Jesse Jackson once said
The death of Jesse Jackson comes during Black History Month, which honors the contributions and achievements of Black people in history.
“Black history is a living spirit and is unique to America’s history,” he continued. “Two hundred and forty-four years of slavery is white history…and black history. When the ships came in and out of New York harbor shipping cotton, tobacco and bringing in Africans of international trade we were the first commodity on the commodity exchange. That’s black history and also white history.”
Earlier this month, a post from Jackson’s Instagram account described Black History Month as “not only a reflection on where we’ve been—it’s a recommitment to where we are called to go.”
"He literally changed the Democratic Party," CNN correspondent says
Jesse Jackson “literally changed the Democratic Party” and how its primaries are conducted, CNN’s Chief National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny said today, reflecting on the political footprint of the late reverend.
“Because Jesse Jackson, through his 1984 bid for president and 1988 candidacy for president, he literally changed the Democratic Party and changed the way Democrats elect their presidents.”
“Gone are the smoke-filled back rooms at party conventions where the candidate was decided,” Zeleny, who extensively covered the Obama campaign and the Obama White House, added. “Jackson opened up that process through making it a delegate fight. And Barack Obama seized upon that in 2007 and 2008 and built a grassroots campaign.”
He also reflected on Jackson’s legacy as the first major Democratic candidate to support LGBTQ rights and a leader who pushed for a more progressive party.
How Jesse Jackson reshaped US politics
The civil rights leader, who died at 84, became the first major Black candidate for US president in 1984 and 1988.
His groundbreaking bids expanded the Democratic electorate, built the Rainbow Coalition and laid political groundwork for future candidates, including Barack Obama.
The civil rights leader, who died at 84, became the first major Black candidate for US president in 1984 and 1988. His groundbreaking bids expanded the Democratic electorate, built the Rainbow Coalition and laid political groundwork for future candidates, including Barack Obama.
In pictures: Rev. Jesse Jackson
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil rights icon who twice ran for president of the United States, died early Tuesday morning. He was 84.
Jackson rose to national prominence in the 1960s as a close aide to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. After King’s assassination in 1968, Jackson became one of the most transformative civil rights leaders in America.
His Rainbow Coalition, a bold alliance of Blacks, Whites, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans and LGBTQ people, helped pave the way for a more progressive Democratic Party. He ran for president in 1984 and 1988, smashing the perception at the time that a Black political candidate couldn’t be a viable presidential candidate.
In his later years, Jackson was an elder statesman in the civil rights movement. And when Barack Obama delivered his victory speech on election-night in 2008, becoming the first Black president, Jackson was in the crowd, watching with tears in his eyes.
Check out some photos from his life below and click the link to see more.
Rev. Al Sharpton pays tribute to his "mentor," who he says was "a movement unto himself"
Civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton has just posted a statement paying tribute to Jesse Jackson, who he called his “mentor” and “a movement unto himself.”
Sharpton said that one of the “greatest honors of my life was learning at his side,” describing Jackson as “family.”
While he is “heartbroken,” he said, he is also “eternally grateful that God allowed me to walk beside a man who helped bend the arc of history and shaped the arc of my own life.”
CNN analyst remembers Jesse Jackson as "an iconic person"
CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson reflected on Jesse Jackson’s legacy, describing him as “an iconic person” who stood for diversity, equity and inclusion.
“When you look at someone like him and you look at the words diversity, equity and inclusion — words that unfortunately in today’s politics have taken on a whole different meaning — that’s precisely what he stood for,” Joey Jackson told CNN’s Rahel Solomon on “Early Start.”
When asked how Jesse Jackson would want to be remembered, Joey Jackson said, “I believe he’d want to be remembered as a person who was a great unifier, a person who spoke and gave voice to the voiceless, a person who recognized that it’s not, it’s not your wealth that makes you who you are, it’s not your social status makes, make you who you are, you know, it’s your individual light, it’s your soul that makes you who you are.”
"A tireless change agent," nonprofit founded by Jackson says in statement
Rainbow/PUSH, a nonprofit formed of two merged organizations that Jesse Jackson founded, announced his death on social media a short while ago.
Jackson is survived by his wife Jacqueline, his six children and his grandchildren, the nonprofit said.
Jackson’s family said that he was a “a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world.”
Remembering the civil rights leader’s life and legacy
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the pioneering civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate, has died at 84, his family said, leaving behind a legacy that reshaped US politics and expanded the modern movement for racial justice.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the pioneering civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate, has died at 84, his family said, leaving behind a legacy that reshaped US politics and expanded the modern movement for racial justice.
What we know about Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson, whose birth name was Jesse Louis Burns, was born to a cotton grader and hairdresser in Greenville, South Carolina in 1941.
Jackson’s mother married Charles Henry Jackson in 1943 and he formally adopted Jesse in 1957.
Jackson began his civil rights activism in 1960 when he and seven others entered the “whites only” public library in Greenville County. They were subsequently arrested and jailed.
In 1966, Jackson was chosen by Dr Martin Luther King Jr. to head the Chicago branch of Operation Breadbasket, an organization that strives to improve the economic condition of black communities across the nation.
He unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988.
Jackson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton in 2000.
In 2017, Jackson announced he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Last April, his progressive supranuclear palsy condition was confirmed.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the pioneering civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate, has died at 84, his family said, leaving behind a legacy that reshaped US politics and expanded the modern movement for racial justice.
