It is with heavy hearts that we report the passing of ordained Baptist minister, human rights activist, and civil rights icon Reverend Jesse Jackson, who reportedly died earlier this morning at the age of 84.
Rev. Jackson, a South Carolina native, began his lifelong commitment to civil rights activism at just 18 years old, when he was arrested in 1960 for protesting segregation at his local public library. He later joined Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the fight for Black voting rights, marching alongside King and other activists from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. By 1967, Jackson was leading operations for King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in Chicago.
Beyond his work in the United States, Jackson also played a role in international human rights efforts. In 1999, he negotiated the release of three U.S. soldiers held captive in what was then Yugoslavia. The following year, President Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his decades-long commitment to advancing democracy and civil rights in America.
In addition to his activism, Rev. Jackson appeared in several film and television projects, including ‘Being Mary Jane’ and ‘The Blood Is at the Doorstep’ (2017), and was featured in numerous documentaries chronicling the Civil Rights Movement.
We extend our deepest condolences to Rev. Jesse Jackson’s family and loved ones. May he rest in peace.
–Dominique Young // @heyyydommm