Jesse Jackson was one of the towering figures in the history of civil rights, who died Feb. 17. He worked hand-in-hand with the legendary Martin Luther King Jr., negotiating global releases and openly shaming corporations for their lack of diversity. He was 84 at the time of his death and had been hospitalized since Nov. 12.
Jackson fought progressive supranuclear palsy (similar to Parkinson’s disease) for years. Despite this disease, Jackson put up a brave front. While the illness weakened his voice and steps, it was not able to stop him.
The Rainbow PUSH Coalition mentioned in an official statement,
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of the Civil Rights leader and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Honorable Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. He died peacefully on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family.”
Jesse’s fight with his ill health never put a stop to his efforts toward his goals. In 2021 alone, he was arrested twice due to his objection to the Senate filibuster rule. This was the same year that he and his wife Jacqueline were hospitalized in Chicago following COVID-19 complications.
U.S. civil rights activist Jesse Jackson has died at the age of 84. pic.twitter.com/k4XdJoJyxp
— Pop Base (@PopBase) February 17, 2026
Jackson began his activism when he was just 18. The South Carolina native got arrested in 1960 as a teenager, as he fought against segregation at his town’s public library. It was a culmination of all of these experiences, which ultimately led him to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. This was followed by his running for president as a Democrat in 1984 and 1988. Jesse Jackson’s efforts, in a way, changed the way in which the government exists today in America.
The life of Jesse Jackson would also be incomplete without his interaction with President Donald Trump. The duo had an equation that was no less dramatic, wherein a series of events turned Jackson from a friend to a foe of Trump.
In fact, back in 1999, when Trump was first attempting to run for the presidency, Jackson offered him an introduction and praised Trump’s business skills and willingness to engage with several minority communities. Incidentally, the 79-year-old U.S. President ended up using these very comments to back up his claim of being anti-racist in his own means.
Unfortunately, their early goodwill gave way to sour and sharp political opposition. It happened when Trump entered partisan politics and launched his first full bid for the White House in 2016. After defeating Hillary Clinton, Trump received a string of condemnations from Jackson, who disliked his rhetoric and policies.
If confirmed, the passing of Jesse Jackson would mark the end of a major chapter in American civil rights history. He was a two-time presidential candidate and founder of the Rainbow Coalition, and remained a prominent political voice for decades.
A tribute from Donald Trump
— maria (@maria07120) February 17, 2026
Critiquing Donald Trump‘s activism, Jesse Jackson said, “The idea of making America great again reopens the wounds in America’s immoral foundation, born in sin, and shaped in inequity. We need not for a moment underestimate the damage done to our country…in the last few days. What are we confronted with? There is a tug of war for the soul of America.”
He even made a direct attack on the kind of policies advocated by Donald Trump and once stated, “Trump says you must be able to speak (…) English, [be] qualified, and have a job skill. Jesus would not qualify to come in Trump’s country—he would not qualify to get into Jesus’ kingdom.”
