Jackson, the civil rights activist who worked with Martin Luther King and spent more than six decades advocating for racial equality, economic justice and voting rights, died Tuesday. He was 84.
Jackson rose to national prominence during the 1960s as one of King’s protégés.
He became the first major Black candidate for the presidency, seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination in 1984 and 1988.
Jackson was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.
0 of 55
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 1968: In this April 3, 1968, file photo, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. stands with other civil rights leaders on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., a day before he was assassinated at approximately the same place. From left are Hosea Williams, Jesse Jackson, King, and Ralph Abernathy. (AP Photo/Charles Kelly, File)
Hospitalized FILE PHOTO: Civil Rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson visits with guests at the National Bar Association's annual convention on July 31, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. Jackson was hospitalized on Wednesday. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Through the years LOS ANGELES - JULY 13: Host and founder Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Reverend Jesse Jackson pose on stage during the 20th Annual "Midsummer Night's Magic Awards Dinner" on July 13, 2005 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images) (Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 17: Rev. Jesse Jackson leaves an event at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition headquarters after announcing his support for Chicago mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson on March 17, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. Johnson, a Cook County commissioner, is facing former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas in a runoff election for the Mayor's office scheduled for April 4. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Rev. Jesse Jackson FILE PHOTO: Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks during the 2022 National Action Network's Annual Convention at the Times Square Sheraton hotel on April 06, 2022 in New York City. The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Jackson is stepping down from the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. (Michael M Santiago/GettyImages/Getty Images)
Through the years 10/27/96 Los Angeles, Ca. Bruce Springsteen gets a hug from Jesse Jackson at a rally opposing "prop 209" in front of the Federal building on Wilshire Blvd. (Stewart Cook/Getty Images)
Rev. Jesse Jackson supports Arbery family during trial Rev. Jesse Jackson supports Arbery family during trial
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 1984: Lt. Robert O. Goodman Jr., second from left, is welcomed home by President Ronald Reagan during a Rose Garden ceremony outside the White House, Jan. 4, 1984, after he was returned from Syrian captivity. Looking on from left: wife Terry Lynn; Goodman's brother Martin; Secretary of State George Shultz; Goodman's mother Marilyn (partially obscured); his father Robert Sr.; his brother Tyron (partially obscured); Reagan; the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was instrumental in negotiating his release; Vice President George Bush. (AP Photo/Ira Schwarz)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 1983: The Rev. Jesse Jackson, right, chats with tennis star Arthur Ashe at a news conference at the opening of Jackson's state campaign headquarters in the Brooklyn section of New York, Dec. 17, 1983. (AP Photo/G. Paul Burnett)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 2007: Pop star Michael Jackson, right, smiles as he walks with the Rev. Jesse Jackson, left, down the red carpet during the RainbowPUSH Coalition Los Angeles 10th annual awards dinner celebrating Jesse Jackson's 66th birthday, on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 2004: After singing "Georgia on My Mind," Willie Nelson and the Rev. Jesse Jackson embrace during funeral services for Ray Charles at First AME Church in Los Angeles on Friday, June 18, 2004. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 2008: Jesse Jackson in the crowd at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 2015: From left, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Vice President Joe Biden, President Barack Obama, and first lady Michelle Obama, gather after services honoring the life of Reverend Clementa Pinckney, Friday, June 26, 2015, in Charleston, S.C., at the College of Charleston TD Arena. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 2017: President Barack Obama talks with the Rev. Jesse Jackson following his farewell address at McCormick Place in Chicago, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017. On the left is Jackson's son, Jonathan Jackson. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 2020: The Rev. Jesse Jackson pays respect to the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., lying in state on the East Front Steps of the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, July 28, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 2010: The Rev. Jesse Jackson, center, leads a group of marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., Sunday, March 7, 2010. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 1966: Civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., right, and his aide the Rev. Jesse Jackson are seen in Chicago, Aug. 19, 1966. (AP Photo/Larry Stoddard)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 2018: The Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks during the funeral service for Aretha Franklin at Greater Grace Temple, Friday, Aug. 31, 2018, in Detroit. Franklin died Aug. 16, 2018, of pancreatic cancer at the age of 76. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 1970: Jesse Jackson of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference speaks at a University of California rally at Greek Theater in Berkeley on May 27, 1970. (AP Photo/Sal Veder)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 1968: A brace of plow mules drawing the farm wagon bearing the mahogany casket of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. along the funeral procession route in Atlanta on April 9, 1968. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, in green, and Andrew Young, at the left corner of the casket, are among some of the mourners. (AP Photo)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 1972: The Rev. Jesse Jackson talks to newsmen at the opening of the National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana, March 11, 1972. (AP Photo/Charles Knoblock)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 1980: Republican presidential nominee Gov. Ronald Reagan talks with the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, director of Operation Push, outside the organization's headquarters in Chicago on Tuesday, August 5, 1980. Nancy Reagan is at right. (AP Photo/Fred Jewell)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 1976: Secretary of State Henry Kissinger shakes hands with the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Chicago civil right leader, as they met at the State Department in Washington on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 1976. (AP Photo)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 1984: The Rev. Jesse Jackson, left, and former Sen. George McGovern both gesture during dialogue at the Democratic presidential debate in Manchester, New Hampshire on Thursday, Feb. 23, 1984. (AP Photo)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 1979: President Jimmy Carter with the Rev. Jesse Jackson at the White House in Washington on April 4, 1979. (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 1984: Democratic presidential candidate the Rev. Jesse Jackson sat down with Cuban President Fidel Castro and other high Cuban government official at the National Palace in Havana on Tuesday, June 26, 1984, to discuss "peace options" in the area of Cuban-U.S. relations and Central America. (AP Photo/J.Scott Applewhite)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 1987: Mrs. Coretta Scott King holds hands while singing with the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Mrs. Christine Farris, the sister of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as they parade on Peachtree Street in Atlanta on Monday, Jan. 19, 1987, to honor King's birthday. (AP Photo/Charles Kelly)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years Here are some memorable photos of the Rev. Jesse Jackson through the years. (Kris Connor/Getty Images)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 1987: The Rev. Jesse Jackson holds hands with members of his family in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Oct. 10, 1987, where he announced he is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 1988: Jesse Jackson is joined by his daughter, Santita, and son Jonathan, far right, and an unidentified youngster at the Los Angeles Hilton Hotel on June 8, 1988, after falling in defeat to Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis in the California Democratic primary. (AP Photo/John Duricka)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 1992: Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton, right, greets Santita Jackson, daughter of Jesse Jackson, center, following a song performed by Ms. Jackson at a "Rebuild America" conference held by the Rainbow Coalition in Washington on June 13, 1992. (AP Photo/Greg Gibson)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 1990: Nelson Mandela, accompanied by his wife, Winnie, far left, is greeted by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, right, at Kennedy Airport in New York on June 20, 1990. (AP Photo/Chester Higgins Jr.)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 2005: In this Oct. 26, 2005, file photo, former South African President Nelson Mandela, left, walks with the Rev. Jesse Jackson after their meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)
Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years 2012: The Rev. Jesse Jackson, center, leaves Whigham Funeral Home after visiting with the family of Whitney Houston before going to the New Hope Baptist Church for her funeral in Newark, N.J., on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)
Jesse Jackson hospitalized after fall on Howard University campus The Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks during a news conference after the verdict was read in the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Minneapolis, in the death of George Floyd. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
Coronavirus: Rev. Jesse Jackson moved to physical rehab center, wife in ICU
Coronavirus: Jesse Jackson, wife remain under observation after COVID-19 hospitalization The Rev. Jesse Jackson and his wife, Jacqueline, attend the Phoenix Dinner for the 48th annual Congressional Black Caucus Foundation on September 15, 2018, in Washington, D.C. (Earl Gibson III/Getty Images)
Jesse Jackson Rev. Jesse Jackson and his wife were hospitalized with COVID-19, according to reports. (Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press )
Rev. Jesse Jackson, wife test positive for coronavirus
Simon Gephardt Jackson Gore Democratic presidential candidates pose in front of a replica of the White House during an Independent Action Roast, June 23, 1987, in Washington. From left are: Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware; Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts; the Rev. Jesse Jackson; former Arizona Gov. Bruce Babbitt; Sen. Albert Gore of Tennessee; Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri; and Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois. (AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi)
2006 Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson (L) watches as Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) talks to Jackson's wife, Jacqueline Lavinia Brown, on the phone from the U.S. Capitol July 20, 2006 in Washington, DC. Lewis was telling Brown that the U.S. Senate passed the Voting Rights Reauthorization Act 98-0. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Dorothy Height mourned Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) second from right, speaks with Rev. Jesse Jackson as they attend a service Dorothy Height at Shiloh Baptist. (J. Scott Applewhite / AP)
Eric Benét Through the Years ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 10: (L-R) Eric Benet, Jesse Jackson and Cee Lo Green attend the 2010 Soul Train Awards at the Cobb Energy Center on November 10, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage) (Johnny Nunez)
Jesse Jackson ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 21: Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. attends 2016 Hope Is Alive Gala: Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. 75th Birthday Celebration at Hyatt Regency Hotel on October 21, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images) (Paras Griffin)
ABC's Taking The Stage ABC SPECIAL - TAKING THE STAGE: AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC AND STORIES THAT CHANGED AMERICA, a star-studded special commemorating the opening of the Smithsonian's new National Museum of African American History and Culture, taped at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, 9/23/16, will air as a two-hour primetime special on THURSDAY, JANUARY 12 (9:0011:00 p.m. ET) on the ABC Television Network. (Photo by Ida Mae Astute/ABC via Getty Images) DONNIE MCCLURKIN, REV. JESSE JACKSON (Ida Mae Astute, Ida Mae Astute)
This Week in Black History: Jesse Jackson This Week in Black History: Jesse Jackson
CMG Tampa Bay presents the All In For All Children Podcast, highlighting the incredible individuals at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and the families whose lives have been touched by their dedication and care.
