The world grieves the loss of Civil Rights icon Rev Jesse Jackson, who passed away surrounded by family at home in Chicago, Illinois, on Tuesday morning (February 17). The cause of death has not been given at this time. He was 84.
Jackson’s family confirmed the icon’s passing and also shared that he died peacefully. The Jackson family issued a public statement on Tuesday with the confirmation. It reads:
“Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world. We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family.”
RIP Rev Jesse Jackson
Jackson emerged as a national leader in the turbulent days following King’s assassination in 1968. He had met King at the Lorraine Motel shortly before the shooting in Memphis. In the years that followed, he positioned himself as a standard-bearer for the unfinished work of the civil rights movement.
The Rev. Al Sharpton said Jackson “was not simply a civil rights leader; he was a movement unto himself,” adding that he taught that “faith must have feet” and that justice demands daily effort.
For decades, Jackson pressed for voting rights, economic justice, education access and health equity. Through the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, he challenged corporate America to hire more inclusively and invest in marginalized communities. His activism fused moral language with political strategy.
His most enduring refrain, “I Am Somebody,” became a declaration of dignity for people across race and class. “I may be poor, but I am Somebody,” Jackson often proclaimed, transforming verse into a call for collective self-worth.
Even as Parkinson’s disease and progressive supranuclear palsy limited his mobility, Jackson continued public appearances during the Black Lives Matter era. Addressing demonstrators in Minneapolis before Derek Chauvin’s conviction, he cautioned, “It’s relief, not victory. Stop the violence. Keep hope alive.”
In 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded Jackson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, recognizing a lifetime spent pressing America toward its democratic promise.
Jackson is survived by his wife and family.
