Jesse Jackson dead: Civil rights icon and two-time presidential candidate dies aged 84 | World | News
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a two-time presidential candidate and civil rights icon, has died aged 84. On social media, his family says he died peacefully this morning, “surrounded by family”.
In a statement, the family says: “Our father was a servant leader – not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world.” The Jackson family continued: “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 honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”
His cause of death has yet to be confirmed but Jackson was admitted to hospital for observation in November, and doctors said he’d been diagnosed with a degenerative condition called progressive supranuclear palsy.
In 2017, he disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, having received outpatient treatment at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago for at least two years before going public with the news.
Jackson called it a “physical challenge” but continued his civil rights advocacy.
Widely recognised for his activism and political impact, Jackson devoted his life to advancing civil rights for marginalised communities in the United States and around the world.
In 1984, Jackson ran for president, becoming only the second African American — after Shirley Chisholm — to launch a nationwide campaign for the White House as a Democratic candidate.
Despite losing the 1984 nomination Jackson launched a second groundbreaking campaign in 1988 and s tarted a movement called the ‘Rainbow Coalition’.
He ultimately finished a strong second to Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. At one stage, following a strong performance in the 12-state ‘Super Tuesday’ primaries, he briefly surged into first place in the delegate race.
During the 90s Jackson helped win the release of several detained US citizens around the world. Jackson was a long-standing supporter of Barack Obama’s presidency, he endorsed Obama in March 2007 during the Democratic primaries, citing his appreciation for him and calling him Illinois’ “favorite son”.
However, their relationship was strained at times. The activist made crude remarks about Obama in what he thought was an off-air moment during an interview with Fox News in 2008.
Unaware that he was whispering into a live microphone, Jackson sat that Obama was “talking down to black people.” Jackson then declared, “I want to cut his nuts out.”
He condemned Donald Trump’s presidency, saying, “Fifty years of civil rights have been threatened.”
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