US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who ran twice for president and was a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr before becoming one of the 20th century's most celebrated political orators, died on Tuesday. He was 84.
His family confirmed his death in a statement, saying Mr Jackson “died peacefully”.
“Our father was a servant leader – not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless and the overlooked around the world,” the statement read in part.
Mr Jackson revealed his Parkinson's diagnosis in 2017. Despite his illness, he continued to advocate for civil rights and was arrested twice in 2021 after protesting in defence of voting rights as well as for the end of the filibuster and an increase to the minimum wage.
Born in South Carolina, Mr Jackson's political rise began in the turbulent civil rights movement of the 1960s, when he participated in marches and sit-ins. A powerful orator, he advocated for the rights of black Americans and other marginalised communities.
He ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, but fell short of becoming the first black major party nominee for the White House.
“My constituency is the desperate, the damned, the disinherited, the disrespected and the despised,” he said in his 1984 campaign address.
His efforts, outlined in his speech, focused on uniting people from across the racial and socioeconomic spectrum.
“The white, the Hispanic, the black, the Arab, the Jew, the woman, the Native American, the small farmer, the business-person, the environmentalist, the peace activist, the young, the old, the lesbian, the gay, and the disabled make up the American quilt,” he said.
He was the most successful black presidential candidate before Barack Obama. His campaigns expanded political participation and pushed progressive issues into the national debate.
"Michelle and I were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of a true giant, the Reverend Jesse Jackson. We will always be grateful for Jesse's lifetime of service, and the friendship our families share," Mr Obama said in a statement. "We stood on his shoulders."
Mr Jackson also famously met the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat several times, starting in the 1980s, as he sought to position himself as an unofficial mediator in the Palestinian–Israeli conflict.
President Donald Trump paid a rare tribute to a progressive leader, calling him a “good man” and saying he would be missed. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he wrote: “He was a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and 'street smarts'. He was very gregarious – Someone who truly loved people!”
Mr Jackson earned international attention by securing the release of Americans held by hostile foreign governments, often acting as a self-appointed envoy without the blessing of the White House or State Department.
Along with his political career, he was also known for negotiating the release of Americans and others held abroad. In 1984, he helped to release a US Navy pilot from Syria, as well as at least 16 Americans held in Cuba that same year. He helped negotiate the release of 700 women and children from Iraq in 1990, and two Gambian Americans in 2012. In 1999, he negotiated the release of three American soldiers held in Yugoslavia.
President Bill Clinton made Mr Jackson a special envoy to Africa to promote democracy, and awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honour.
He weathered a spate of controversies but remained the pre-eminent US civil rights figure for decades and was known for his charismatic speeches and commanding rhetoric.
Beyond calling for political change, Mr Jackson put pressure on large companies such as Coca-Cola and BP to improve minority hiring and business opportunities, and urged pension funds to make loans in low-income communities.
He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, and their five children, including former congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.
