Local leaders are remembering the Rev. Jesse Jackson Tuesday after the civil rights giant and a two-time presidential candidate died at the age of 84.
Jackson’s family said he died peacefully on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family. He had been in declining health for several years.
“His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity,” they said in a statement. “A tireless change agent, he elevated the voices of the voiceless from his presidential campaigns in the 1980s to mobilizing millions to register to vote — leaving an indelible mark on history.”
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is running for governor, was among those offering personal remembrances on social media.
“As a young organizer, the first presidential candidate I ever campaigned for was Jesse Jackson, whose courage and moral clarity inspired a generation to believe that our democracy could be more inclusive and more just,” Villaraigosa posted on X. “Reverend Jackson gave voice to the hopes of those too often left out, and he challenged America to live up to its highest ideals. I will always be grateful for the example he set for me and so many others who chose a life of public service because we believed, as he did, in the power of coalition and conscience.”
Los Angeles civil rights activist Najee Ali, leader of Project Islamic Hope, called Jackson his mentor and longtime friend.
“Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. did not just witness history — he forced this nation to confront its conscience,” Ali said. “For more than 60 years, he stood on the front lines of the struggle for justice, demanding accountability, equity, and dignity for Black people, the poor, and the oppressed.
“He challenged presidents, corporations, and systems built on inequality. He organized where others hesitated. He spoke when silence was easier. His life was a constant reminder that justice is never given — it is fought for.
“The greatest way to honor Rev. Jackson is not with praise alone, but with action. We must continue the work, confront injustice wherever it lives, and refuse to accept a nation that falls short of its promise.
“We extend our deepest condolences to his family and to all who carry his mission forward. Rest in power. We will continue the fight.”
Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable President Earl Ofari Hutchinson said Jackson was a major contributor to civil rights in Los Angeles.
“Jesse Jackson led many battles against police abuse and job and housing discrimination in L.A. in years past,” Hutchinson said Tuesday. “He worked closely on these issues with Los Angeles civil rights organizations and city officials. He will remain a major contributor to L.A.’s civil rights legacy.”
Former Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, a Brentwood resident, released the following statement Tuesday:
“Reverend Jesse Jackson was one of America’s greatest patriots. He spent his life summoning all of us to fulfill the promise of America and building the coalitions to make that promise real. … His presidential runs in 1984 and 1988 electrified millions of Americans and showed them what could be possible. From Washington, DC to the Bay Area, from the Mississippi Delta to Appalachia, from South Africa to the South Side of Chicago, Reverend Jackson gave a voice to people who were removed from power and politics. He let us know our voices mattered. He instilled in us that we were somebody. And he widened the path for generations to follow in his footsteps and lead.
“As a young law student, I would drive back and forth from Oakland, where I lived, to San Francisco, where I went to school. I had a bumper sticker in the back window of my car that read: `Jesse Jackson for President.’ As I would drive across the Bay Bridge, you would not believe how people from every walk of life would give me a thumbs up or honk of support. They were small interactions, but they exemplified Reverend Jackson’s life work — lifting up the dignity of working people, building community and coalitions, and strengthening our democracy and nation,” Harris continued.
“I was proud to partner with and learn from him on this work throughout my career, and I am so grateful for the time we spent together this January. Reverend Jackson was a selfless leader, mentor, and friend to me and so many others.
“Doug and I are praying for Jacqueline, their children and grandchildren, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and the millions of people across our country and around the world whose lives he impacted. Today and every day, we will carry forward his call to `Keep hope alive.”’
President Donald Trump said Jackson “was a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and street smarts. He was very gregarious — Someone who truly loved people!”
Jackson’s health had sharply declined in recent weeks. He announced in 2017 that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and was recently diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurodegenerative condition similar to Parkinson’s. Reports emerged in November 2025 that Jackson was placed on life support.
Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson was a protégé of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and was famously at King’s side moments after the civil rights pioneer was assassinated on the balcony of a Memphis motel in 1968.
After King’s death, Jackson fell out with Ralph Abernathy, King’s successor as chairman of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and went on to found the groups that would merge to form the Rainbow/PUSH organization, which promote civil rights and political activism throughout the United States.
The group established a headquarters in Chicago and that became Jackson’s base of operations as he increasingly gained influence in the Democratic Party, successfully taking on powerful Mayor Richard Daley in a dispute over delegate seating at the 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami. As leader of Rainbow/PUSH, he continued to advocate for voting rights, lead boycotts of companies for alleged discrimination and generally push for more Black, female and minority representation in all walks of public life.
Jackson launched a groundbreaking campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984, winding up in third place in the delegate count behind former Vice President Walter Mondale and Colorado Sen. Gary Hart. Jackson was given a prime-time spot to address that summer’s Demonstration convention and delivered an electrifying speech that set him up for another run in 1988.
Jackson’s 1988 campaign garnered even more votes and mainstream media attention, as he seriously challenged the front-runner, Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, for the nomination. Jackson won primaries in several deep South states and in Michigan, but eventually lost the nomination decisively to Dukakis.
Jackson’s activities were not confined to domestic politics. In 1983, he negotiated with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad to secure the release of a captured American pilot, Navy Lt. Robert Goodman. He followed that up in 1984 by negotiating the release of 22 Americans being held in Cuba after an invitation by Cuban president Fidel Castro.
Jackson continued serving as an advocate for progressive policies and self-determination among urban youth in the 1990s. He traveled to Los Angeles after the deadly 1992 riots sparked by the acquittal of four policemen in the videotaped beating of Rodney King, pleading for both justice in the courts and peace in the streets.
He also hosted the public affairs show “Both Sides with Jesse Jackson” on CNN from 1992 to 2000.
As the 2008 presidential election got underway in 2007, Jackson endorsed Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, then watched with a mixture of pride and jealousy as Obama became America’s first Black president. Jackson had clashed with Obama at times during the campaign for trying to appeal too much to the political center in his view, but the image of a tearful Jackson at Obama’s election-night victory speech went viral and confirmed that the weight of a historic moment in U.S. history that Jackson himself helped to make possible wasn’t lost on the reverend.
Jackson was often a lightning rod for controversy. Some in King’s inner circle questioned the accuracy of his often-repeated statement that King “died in my arms.”
He earned the enmity of many in the Jewish community for referring to New York City as “Hymietown” in remarks to a Washington Post reporter during the 1984 presidential campaign.
In January 2001, news emerged that Jackson had an affair with a staff member that resulted in the birth of a daughter.
Jackson had five children with his wife Jacqueline Lavinia Brown. One of them, Jesse Jackson Jr., served in Congress as the representative from Illinois’ 2nd congressional district from 1995 until he resigned in 2012 amid an investigation into financial improprieties.
His oldest daughter Santita Jackson is a singer who has toured with Roberta Flack and performed the National Anthem at President Bill Clinton’s second inauguration.
Jackson stepped down as leader of Rainbow/PUSH in 2023 due to his age and health issues.