In Memoriam: the Rev. Jesse Jackson (1941-2026)

"Even in the last years of his life, when he was suffering from the progressive neurological disorder that slowed his steps and his speech before his death on February 17, at age 84, the reverend kept calling his Rainbow PUSH Coalition together for one more mission, one more crusade for justice. He did so with an urgency that belied his condition and drew old allies and young protégés into fights that were righteous and necessary and, frequently, prescient."

"In January of 2024, at a point when few political figures were prepared to call out the Israeli assault on Gaza that has now claimed more than 75,000 Palestinian lives and has been identified as a genocide by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Jesse Jackson pulled together Muslims, Christians, and Jews, grassroots activists and faith leaders, scholars and members of Congress, to pursue immediate action to bring an end to the crisis."

"His voice may have been halting, but it still rang out with moral clarity, as it had for the better part of 70 years, from the days when Jackson was an essential aide to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., to when this son of South Carolina built street-level movements to tackle poverty and corruption in his adopted city of Chicago, began to travel the world as a strikingly successful citizen-diplomat."

Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died on February 17, 2026, at age 84, remained an active campaigner throughout his life despite suffering from a progressive neurological disorder. Even in his final years, he convened his Rainbow PUSH Coalition for justice initiatives. In January 2024, Jackson organized a significant interfaith gathering in Chicago, bringing together Muslims, Christians, Jews, activists, faith leaders, scholars, and members of Congress to address the Gaza crisis and call for peace. His moral voice remained clear despite physical limitations. Jackson's activism spanned approximately 70 years, from his work with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. through his grassroots organizing in Chicago, his role as a citizen-diplomat, and his two presidential campaigns leading a multiracial coalition.

Read at The Nation