Jesse Jackson, one of the world’s best-known Black activists and a onetime aide to Martin Luther King Jr., died Tuesday at age 84, his family said, prompting tributes from across the political spectrum.
Family Notes Peaceful Passing After Long Illness
Jackson, who in recent years disclosed he was living with Parkinson’s disease and other progressive neurological conditions, “died peacefully” Tuesday morning in Chicago after a long illness, his relatives said. “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 family added.
The Chicago pastor was a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, a two-time Democratic presidential candidate and a mentor to generations of civil rights leaders.
Presidents From Both Parties Salute His Legacy
President Donald Trump, who said he had known Jackson for decades, called him “a good man” and “a force of nature,” noting that he once provided office space for Jackson’s organization and later worked with him on criminal-justice and education initiatives, including support for historically Black colleges and universities.
President Joe Biden hailed Jackson as “a man of God and of the people” who was “unafraid of the work to redeem the soul of our Nation,” saying his optimism and insistence on justice helped move the country through “tumult and triumph.”
Barack Obama and Michelle Obama praised Jackson’s “lifetime of service” and called him a “true giant” whose campaigns and voter-registration drives helped clear a path for other Black leaders, writing that “we stood on his shoulders.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris remembered Jackson as “one of America’s greatest patriots,” recalling that as a law student she drove with a “Jesse Jackson for President” bumper sticker and vowing to carry forward his call to “keep hope alive.”
Elsewhere, Former President Bill Clinton, who named Jackson his special envoy for democracy and human rights in Africa and later awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, lauded his “service to humanity” and decades-long friendship, saying Jackson “never stopped working for a better America with brighter tomorrows.”
Chicago And New York Leaders Honor His Memory
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) called Jackson a mentor whose “unwavering courage” affirmed “the humanity of working people,” while Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) ordered flags to half-staff, saying Jackson “broke down barriers, inspired generations, and kept hope alive.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) remembered Jackson as “a voice for the voiceless” and “the people’s champion,” and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) hailed him as a “giant of the civil rights movement who never stopped demanding that America live up to its promise.”
Photo Courtesy: Arturo Holmes on Shutterstock.com
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