The Reverend Jesse Jackson, a leading figure in the United States civil rights movement and a two-time Democratic presidential candidate, has died at the age of 84.
His family announced that he passed away peacefully on Tuesday morning, February 17, 2026, surrounded by relatives.
Born on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson became one of the most recognisable voices for racial equality, political participation, and economic justice in the United States and abroad.
Jackson worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s through the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. After King’s assassination in 1968, he continued organising marches, voter registration drives, and economic campaigns. In 1971, he founded Operation PUSH in Chicago, which later evolved into the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
He ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988. In 1988, he won 13 states during the primary contests. Although he did not secure the nomination, his campaigns expanded minority participation in national politics and influenced the Democratic Party’s platform.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu described Jackson as a “servant-leader” whose activism alongside Dr. King helped shape the global struggle for racial equality. Tinubu recalled living in Chicago in the 1970s and witnessing Jackson’s work firsthand. He said Jackson’s presidential bids in 1984 and 1988 “inflicted the first cracks” in what he described as America’s political glass ceiling.
Former President Barack Obama said Jackson “helped lead some of the most significant movements for change in human history” and added that “we stood on his shoulders.” Obama noted that Jackson’s campaigns laid important groundwork for future candidates.
President Donald Trump described Jackson as “a force of nature,” while former President Joe Biden called him “a man of God and of the people.” Former Vice President Kamala Harris said Jackson “let us know our voices mattered.” Civil rights leader Al Sharpton referred to him as a mentor, and Bernice King wrote that Jackson and her father are “both now ancestors.”
Beyond the United States, Jackson played an informal diplomatic role in several international crises. In 1984, he traveled to Syria and helped secure the release of a captured American pilot. The same year, he negotiated with Cuban leader Fidel Castro for the release of political prisoners.
In 1990, he met Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and helped secure the release of Americans detained during the Gulf crisis. He also advocated strongly against apartheid in South Africa and called for the release of Nelson Mandela.
He was also vocal on Palestinian rights. During his 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns, he called for recognition of Palestinian self-determination and supported a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Arab American leaders and Palestinian advocates said his campaigns brought their concerns into the national political debate. Maya Berry of the Arab American Institute said there is no way to tell the story of Arab American political empowerment “without understanding the path that Reverend Jackson created.”
Activists noted that Jackson resisted pressure to distance himself from Palestinian rights supporters and argued that justice required the inclusion of all communities.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Jackson’s support for the anti-apartheid movement was significant to his country’s struggle. Kenya’s President William Ruto described him as a steady voice for justice, and French President Emmanuel Macron called his death a major loss.
In 2000, Jackson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the United States.
He had been diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy in recent years and had faced declining health.
Jackson is survived by his wife, Jacqueline “Jackie” Jackson; his children, including former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.; his grandchildren; and extended family members.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
