US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson dies

The Jackson family’s statement says the 84-year-old “died peacefully on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family”.

“His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shake a global movement for freedom and dignity,” the statement goes on.

In 2017, Jackson announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder which affects the brain, nervous system, and muscle control.

Jackson called it a “physical challenge” but continued his civil rights advocacy.

His father, Noah Lewis Robinson Sr, also had Parkinson’s and died of the disease in 1997 at the age of 88.

Jackson was a prominent civil rights campaigner who ran twice for the Democratic Party’s nomination for president in 1984 and 1988.

Born on 8 October 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson became involved in politics at an early age.

He rose to prominence in the 1960s as a leader in Martin Luther King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

He was present with King when he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968.

He launched two social justice and activism organisations: Operation PUSH in 1971, and the National Rainbow Coalition a dozen years later.

Jackson remained an activist into later life, pursuing civil rights for disenfranchised groups both in the United States and abroad.

The statement reads:

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of 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.

“His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity. A tireless change agent, he elevated the voices of the voiceless from his Presidential campaigns in the 1980s to mobilising millions to register to vote – leaving an indelible mark on history.

“Reverend Jackson is survived by his wife, Jacqueline; their children – Santita, Jesse Jr., Jonathan, Yusef, Jacqueline; daughter Ashley Jackson, and grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his mother, Helen Burns Jackson; father, Noah Louis Robinson, and stepfather, Charles Henry Jackson.

‘”Our father was a servant leader – not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world. We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honour his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.

“Public observances will be held in Chicago. Final arrangements for Reverend Jackson’s celebration of life services, including all public events, will be released by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.”