US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson dies aged 84

The civil rights leader and US presidential hopeful ‘died peacefully’ on Tuesday, his family said.Published On 17 Feb 2026United States civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson has died aged 84.Jackson “died peacefully” on Tuesday morning, a statement from his family said.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Black Lives Matter: Where are the Black clergy?list 2 of 3Why Black History Month makes me feel like a failurelist 3 of 3Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson hospitalised with COVID-19end of list“His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shake a global movement for freedom and dignity,” the statement continued.“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 said.“We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family.”⁠A close associate of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr (MLK), the Baptist ⁠minister twice ran for ⁠the Democratic presidential nomination. He spent decades advocating for the rights of Black Americans and other minorities, dating back to the tumultuous 1960s civil rights movement.Raised in the segregated US South, Jackson first entered the public eye as MLK’s mentee. He was with MLK when he was assassinated at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis in 1968.In a 2008 interview with Al Jazeera, Jackson said MLK’s slaying “traumatised” him, and blamed the US government for sowing fears among the public against his mentor “without a foundation”.“In spite of those odds, he lives now through his dreams in the hearts of millions of people,” Jackson said.Reverend Jesse Jackson speaks to the crowd at the Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial Dedication ceremony in Washington, DC on October 16, 2011 [AFP]‘Hold your head high’After MLK’s death, Jackson continued his legacy by leading the Chicago-based organisation Operation PUSH, which was dedicated to improving economic, social and political conditions for Black people across the US.