Rev. Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Icon, Dies at 84

CHICAGO, Illinois. — Rev. Jesse Jackson, the longtime civil rights activist who rose to prominence in the aftermath of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has died at the age of 84. His passing was confirmed on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, by the Associated Press.

Details surrounding the cause and location of his death were not immediately available. His family had not released a formal statement as of publication.

Jackson first gained national attention in the 1960s as a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr., working within the Southern Christian Leadership Conference during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. He was present in Memphis on April 4, 1968, when King was assassinated—an event that propelled Jackson into a more visible leadership role.

In 1971, he founded Operation PUSH, later expanding into the Rainbow Coalition, organizations aimed at addressing economic disparities and increasing minority political engagement. Over the decades, Jackson became one of the most recognizable faces in American activism, frequently appearing at protests, negotiating with corporations, and weighing in on national controversies.

Jackson twice sought the Democratic presidential nomination, in 1984 and 1988. While unsuccessful, his campaigns were historic, marking one of the first serious bids by an African American candidate for a major party nomination. His 1988 campaign, in particular, broadened his coalition and influenced the Democratic Party’s approach to identity-based politics and federal social programs.

To supporters, Jackson was a tireless advocate for minority communities and the economically disadvantaged, pressing America to live up to its founding ideals. To critics, particularly on the right, he symbolized a political movement that increasingly emphasized group identity and expanded federal intervention over individual responsibility and constitutional limits.

President Donald Trump issued a statement Tuesday acknowledging Jackson’s long public career. “Rev. Jesse Jackson was a very well-known figure in American politics and civil rights for many decades,” Trump said. “We didn’t always agree—often we didn’t—but he cared deeply about the issues he championed. Melania and I extend our prayers to his family and loved ones.”

Throughout his career, Jackson remained a polarizing presence. He was praised for mediating international disputes and advocating for Americans held abroad, but also faced criticism over controversial remarks and partisan activism. Even as his public appearances became less frequent in recent years due to health challenges, his influence on modern Democratic politics remained evident.

Jackson’s death closes a chapter on a generation shaped by the Civil Rights Movement’s hard-fought victories—legal equality, voting rights protections, and the dismantling of segregation. Those gains reshaped the nation and reaffirmed the Constitution’s promise of equal protection under the law.

Yet his legacy also reflects the enduring debate over how best to secure opportunity and justice in America. Whether remembered primarily as a bridge-builder or as a partisan firebrand, Jesse Jackson leaves behind a record that helped shape the nation’s political and cultural landscape for more than half a century.