The Reverend Jesse Jackson, a pivotal figure in the American civil rights movement and a two-time presidential candidate, died Tuesday at the age of 84, his family announced. His passing has prompted an outpouring of tributes from across the political spectrum, including from President Donald Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., posted on X, describing Jackson as “a gifted negotiator and a courageous bridge-builder, serving humanity by bringing calm into tense rooms and creating pathways where none existed.” She shared a photograph of her father alongside Jackson, stating, “Both now ancestors.”
Kamala Harris, who ran against Trump in the 2024 presidential race, remembered Jackson as “one of America’s greatest patriots.” In a post on X, she wrote that he “spent his life summoning all of us to fulfil the promise of America and building the coalitions to make that promise real,” giving a voice to those “removed from power and politics.” Harris recalled a personal connection to Jackson’s campaigns, remembering a bumper sticker on her car during law school that garnered support although driving across the Bay Bridge, exemplifying his ability to “lift up the dignity of working people.” She noted her pride in partnering with and learning from him throughout her career, and expressed gratitude for their time together in January.
President Trump too issued a statement, calling Jackson “a force of nature like few others before him.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries remembered Jackson as a “voice for the voiceless” and a source of hope in the fight for racial justice, according to CNN reporting.
Civil rights leader Al Sharpton described Jackson as his “mentor” and “a movement unto himself,” adding that the nation had lost “one of its greatest moral voices.” Sharpton stated Jackson “carried history in his footsteps and hope in his voice,” and “stood wherever dignity was under attack.”
Jackson’s family stated he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones. While the cause of death was not immediately disclosed, he had been living with Parkinson’s disease for several years. His career spanned decades, marked by his close association with Martin Luther King Jr. And his own leadership in advocating for civil rights, economic justice, and peace. He founded Operation PUSH, an organization dedicated to empowering Black communities and advocating for equal opportunity, and led numerous voter registration drives and protests.
In 1984 and 1988, Jackson mounted historic presidential campaigns, electrifying millions of Americans and demonstrating the potential for a broader, more inclusive Democratic coalition, as noted by Harris. At the 1984 Democratic National Convention, Jackson argued for expanding the party’s base to represent the diverse “many patches” of American society.
