The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a towering figure of American civil rights and politics whose fiery sermons and vision of a “rainbow coalition” reshaped Black political influence in the United States, has died at 84.
His family confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that Mr Jackson “died peacefully”, though no cause of death or location was disclosed.
He leaves behind his wife of 63 years, Jacqueline Jackson, and their six children: Santita, Jesse Jr, Jonathan Luther, Yusef, Jacqueline, and Ashley.
He had been hospitalised in November for treatment of a rare and severe neurodegenerative condition, progressive supranuclear palsy, according to the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the advocacy group he founded.
In 2017, he announced that he had Parkinson’s disease, which can affect movement and speech.
Mr Jackson rose to national prominence as a protégé of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and emerged as one of the most influential Black leaders in the years between Dr King’s assassination in 1968 and the election of Barack Obama in 2008.
Picking up the mantle of the civil rights struggle, he built a political movement rooted in social justice, economic equality, and grassroots mobilisation.
He twice sought the presidency of the United States, in 1984 and 1988, breaking new ground for Black candidates on the national stage. Though he never won the office, his campaigns broadened political participation and helped lay the groundwork for future generations of minority leaders.
Through decades of activism, preaching and political organising, Mr Jackson became known for his impassioned oratory and tireless advocacy for the poor and marginalised. His call for a broad, inclusive “rainbow coalition” of Americans across race and class lines helped redefine progressive politics in the late 20th century.
While he never attained the singular moral authority of Dr. King or the historic electoral victory achieved by Mr. Obama, Mr. Jackson remained a central moral and political voice during a period when the legacy of segregation was still fresh and Black political power was still emerging.
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