Rev. Jesse Jackson has passed away.
The New York Times
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Breaking News: The Rev. Jesse Jackson, whose fiery speeches and populist vision made him a charismatic champion of civil rights, died at 84.
https://bsky.app/profile/nytimes.com/post/3mf2ccc265k2q
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, pioneering civil rights activist and racial ‘pathfinder,’ dies at 84
By
John Blake and Alex Stambaugh
The Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson, the towering civil rights leader whose moral vision and fiery oratory reshaped the Democratic Party and America, has died, his son said. He was 84.
Jackson, a protégé of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., had been hospitalized in recent months and was under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy. He died Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family, according to a statement from his nonprofit social justice organization, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
“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 mobilizing millions to register to vote – leaving an indelible mark on history,” the statement read.
Jackson was what one pundit called “an American original.” He was born to an unwed teenage mom in Greenville, South Carolina, during the Jim Crow era but rose to become a civil rights icon and a groundbreaking politician who mounted two electrifying runs for the presidency in the 1980s.
Jackson’s dual bids for the Democratic presidential nomination inspired Black America and stunned political observers who marveled at his ability to draw White voters. He was a Black crossover figure long before Barack Obama hit the national stage.
Jackson first 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 — to the chagrin of some of King’s aides, who thought he was too brash.
But 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.
“Our flag is red, white and blue, but our nation is a rainbow – red, yellow, brown, Black and White – and we’re all precious in God’s sight,” Jackson once said.
One of Jackson’s signature phrases was “Keep hope alive.” He repeated it so often that some began to parody it, but it never seemed to lose meaning for him. He was a force for social justice over three eras: the Jim Crow period, the civil rights era and the post-civil rights era that culminated with the election of Obama and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Through his eloquence and singular drive, Jackson didn’t just keep hope alive for himself. His dream of a vibrant, multiracial America still inspires millions of Americans today.
Jackson’s vision remade the Democratic Party. He was the first presidential candidate to make support for gay rights a major part of his campaign platform, and he made a concerted effort to challenge the Democratic Party’s prioritization of White, moderate, middle-class voters, says David Masciotra, author of “I Am Somebody: Why Jesse Jackson Matters.
Adam Serwer
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There’s no President Barack Obama without Jesse Jackson. It just doesn’t happen.
6:18 AM · Feb 17, 2026
https://bsky.app/profile/adamserwer.bsky.social/post/3mf2kckbt322d
I still remember this.
I AM SOMEBODY
Jaime Harrison
@harrisonjaime
History sometimes remembers the nominee, but it doesn’t always remember who actually reshaped the party.In 1984 and especially in 1988, Jesse Jackson built a multiracial coalition that fundamentally altered the Democratic primary electorate. He won more than a thousand delegates in 1988. That gave him leverage. And he used that leverage to push for greater representation, more proportional inclusion, and a delegate process that reflected the diversity of America.
The nominees that year won the convention. But Jesse Jackson helped define what the modern Democratic coalition would look like.
In many ways, the party that elected Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden carries forward the architecture of Rev. Jackson and the Rainbow Coalition.
10:22 AM · Feb 17, 2026
https://x.com/harrisonjaime/status/2023795253874995629?s=20
Andy Mackenzie
@andymack.bsky.socialFollow
Jesse v Marvin
https://bsky.app/profile/andymack.bsky.social/post/3mf2dxu44fc2x
The Royal Family
@RoyalFamily
A message from The King on the death of Reverend Jesse Jackson.
https://x.com/RoyalFamily/status/2024078780436783320?s=20
Barack Obama
@BarackObama
Michelle and I were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of a true giant, the Reverend Jesse Jackson. We will always be grateful for Jesse’s lifetime of service, and the friendship our families share. We stood on his shoulders. We send our deepest condolences to the Jackson family and everyone in Chicago and beyond who knew and loved him.
https://x.com/BarackObama/status/2023817220795621450?s=20
Jesse Jackson reading Green Eggs and Ham🤣🤣🤣
Usually, this guy’s memorials are funny, but I 😢😢
with this one about Jesse Jackson
The Economist
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With his oratory, his slogan “Yes We Can!” and his deliberate pitch to the disrespected, Barack Obama followed the very path Jesse Jackson had mapped out in 1984.
We remember the activist and civil-rights leader
https://bsky.app/profile/economist.com/post/3mfh6ya5c4x2e
Aaron Fritschner
@Fritschner
Every few years we rewatch Ken Burns’ Baseball, and the heaviest moment is always Jesse Jackson’s 1972 eulogy for Jackie Robinson. It’s incredible
https://x.com/Fritschner/status/2023866782889677068?s=20
Chuck Park
@chuckforqueens
Rev. Jesse Jackson showed up for the family of Vincent Chin and Asian Americans when few others would.
His Rainbow Coalition showed us the way to solidarity.
May he rest in peace.
https://x.com/chuckforqueens/status/2023826583564525959?s=20
Strictly 4 My X’ers
@Lizzs_Lockeroom
That time Jesse Jackson was on the campaign trail and some of his comments were not well received. So SNL & Eddie Murphy stepped in to help “smooth” it over….
Rest easy, Jesse Jackson 💙🙏🏾🕊
https://x.com/Lizzs_Lockeroom/status/2023783650232283504?s=20
CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil
@CBSEveningNews
Andrew Young, an early leader in the civil rights movement, speaks with
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about the life and legacy of Jesse Jackson. Jackson died Tuesday morning at 84, his family said. https://cbsn.ws/4bUBjke
https://x.com/CBSEveningNews/status/2023900381705560572?s=20
Je’lon Alexander, M.A.
@JelonAlexander
In honor of Jesse Jackson, here’s a clip of him on the show A Different World from Season 2, Episode 21 Citizen Wayne in 1989.
RIP Jesse Jackson 🙏🏾
https://x.com/JelonAlexander/status/2023712978978435104?s=20
Human Rights Watch
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Reverend Jesse Jackson, a defining force in the struggle for civil and human rights, died on Tuesday at the age of 84.
Jackson built a broad movement that championed the rights of women, LGBT people, immigrants, and the poor.
Read more about his legacy: bit.ly/4qG5Fe0
Wesley
@WesleyLowery
there’s a barely-concealed condescension that frames (white) mainstream discussion of Jesse Jackson – he was “complex”, “personal failings”, “self promotion” “ego” – that, functionally, denies him his rightful mantle: possibly the most important political figure of his era
6:23 AM · Feb 17, 2026
Domo Julio
@DapperDomo
I’m thinking about how young Jesse Jackson was when he started movement work. He was a baby thrown onto ground zero of the most important human rights campaign in modern world history, and he thrived.
5:36 AM · Feb 17, 2026
Congressman Jonathan Jackson discussing his father
https://youtu.be/eAjjD6Tu9O0?si=LkDh09pN2lhBJPXs
Democracy Now!
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Howard University professor Clarence Lusane shares why Jesse Jackson’s 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns were so historic, and how they permanently reshaped the Democratic Party.
https://bsky.app/profile/democracynow.org/post/3mf2qvqlg3s2l
Adam Harris
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I called Jackson again about a year later, in July 2020, on the day John Lewis died.
He talked about Lewis’s moral clarity, what patriotism really means, and about the rebirth of democracy in the 60s.
“Our modern democracy was born in front of that bridge.” http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
https://bsky.app/profile/adamhsays.com/post/3mf2mpxpmps2m
Adam Harris
@adamhsays.com
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thinking about the conversation I had with Jesse Jackson in 2019:
“The truth of slavery—that Africans subsidized America’s wealth—that truth will not go away. It’s buried right now, but as each generation becomes much more serious, it will be grappled with.” http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
https://bsky.app/profile/adamhsays.com/post/3mf2md2xre22m
Kamala Harris
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Reverend Jesse Jackson was one of America’s greatest patriots. He spent his life summoning all of us to fulfill the promise of America and building the coalitions to make that promise real.
https://bsky.app/profile/kamalaharris.com/post/3mf2qgtg3wk2b
Rev. Jackson, RIP🙏🏽😪
Without Jesse Jackson in 1984 and 1988, there would have been no Barack Obama.