On the morning of February 17, 2026, it was announced that Jesse Jackson, a prominent civil rights leader, had passed away at the age of 84. He had been ill with Parkinson’s disease for several years and was recently hospitalized with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) back in November 2025. Jackson was a Baptist minister, a two-time Democratic Party presidential candidate, and the founder of the civil rights organization the RAINBOW Push Coalition.
A native of Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson had begun his civil rights activism in the 1960s, first coming to prominence as one of eight African American men arrested in 1960 – he was 18 at the time – for protesting segregation at their public library. He marched in the Selma to Montgomery marches and worked for the late Martin Luther King, Jr., being just feet away when he was assassinated in 1968. Jackson was later selected to head Chicago operations for King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference, making use of boycotts and public attention to pressure companies to hire more Black workers. Jackson then founded the nonprofit organizations Operation PUSH in 1971 and the Rainbow Coalition in 1984 – the organizations that would merge to become Rainbow PUSH. Jackson was also an international advocate, flying to Syria in 1983 to negotiate the release of an American pilot shot down over Lebanon, and the release of 22 Americans and 26 political prisoners from Cuba after meeting with dictator Fidel Castro.
Jackson first ran for President in the 1984 Democratic primary. His successes abroad bolstered his campaign, although he still lost to former Vice President Walter Mondale, who went on to lose to President Ronald Reagan. Jackson ran again in 1988’s Democratic primary, putting up a more spirited and stronger campaign against Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, but would fall short as well. Dukakis later lost to George H.W. Bush. Following 1988, Jackson turned to focus more on civil rights and justice. He advocated for the release of Americans being held captive overseas, lobbied for D.C. statehood as he served as the Federal District’s shadow senator from 1991 to 1997, and drove efforts to expand voter registration. In 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded Jackson the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Jackson’s enduring legacy in American politics is that of increased Black participation in elections. Many African Americans’ first political donations were made to Jackson’s campaigns in 1984 and 1988, as his presidential campaigns generated excitement among the Black community. Many Black politicians would first make their foray into politics because they were inspired by Jackson’s campaigns. Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition would help to register many new Black voters, which was a factor in President Clinton’s election in 1992. Without Jackson, President Barack Obama probably would not have been elected in 2008. Having organized and worked towards Black empowerment throughout his entire life, Jackson cemented himself in history as a powerful Black leader, orator, and civil rights icon.
Emil Ordonez, a political science major at Fordham University, is the founder and editor-in-chief of Polinsights. He has been deeply passionate about politics and history since learning every U.S. President at the age of five. He was compelled to start this blog after meeting many people who were misinformed or had become apathetic about how society worked. He hopes to provide factual knowledge and insights that will encourage people, especially the young, to get more engaged in their respective communities. In his free time, he edits for Wikipedia and makes maps for elections. He aspires to work in Congress or even the White House in the future.
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