Civil rights leader and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition championed educational equity for over 50 years.
The Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. was one of America’s foremost civil rights, religious and political figures. For more than fifty years, he played a pivotal role in virtually every movement for empowerment, peace, civil rights, gender equality, and economic and social justice. On August 9, 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded Reverend Jackson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
On February 17, 2026, we lost Rev. Jackson. As we reflect on his extraordinary life and enduring legacy, please know that his impact was never the work of one man alone. It was carried forward by a community of believers, partners, and staunch advocates who helped advance the cause of justice and equity.
The void his passing creates is profound, yet his vision remains a living charge to each of us.
Born on October 8, 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina, Jesse Jackson graduated from the public schools in Greenville and then enrolled in the University of Illinois on a football scholarship. He later transferred to North Carolina A&T State University and graduated in 1964. He began his theological studies at Chicago Theological Seminary but deferred his studies when he began working full-time in the Civil Rights Movement with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
For his work in human and civil rights and nonviolent social change, Reverend Jackson received more than 40 honorary doctorate degrees and frequently lectured at major colleges and universities including Howard, Yale, Princeton, Morehouse, Harvard, Columbia, Stanford and Hampton. In March 2010, Reverend Jackson was inducted into England’s prestigious Cambridge Union Society.
In October 1997, Reverend Jackson was appointed by President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as “Special Envoy of the President and Secretary of State for the Promotion of Democracy in Africa.” In this official position, Reverend Jackson traveled to several countries on the African continent and met with such national leaders as President Nelson Mandela.
In 1965, he became a full-time organizer for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He was soon appointed by Dr. King to direct the Operation Breadbasket program. In December of 1971, Reverend Jackson founded Operation PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity) in Chicago, focusing on economic empowerment and expanding educational opportunities.
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