Joint Center Mourns the Passing of Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Sr.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 17, 2026
Kennedy Fortner, kennedy.fortner@jointcenter.org

Vernon Jordan, Dorothy Height, Joe Allbritton, and Rev. Jesse Jackson at a Joint Center event.

Washington, D.C. — The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies mourns the passing of Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Sr., a monumental figure in the American civil rights movement, a two-time presidential candidate, and a lifelong champion of justice, equality, and Black political empowerment. He was 84.

Reverend Jackson dedicated his life to the belief that every person — regardless of race, class, or circumstance — deserved dignity, opportunity, and a voice in the democratic process. From his early days as a young protégé of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to his founding of Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition, he built one of the most consequential careers in American public life. He was present with Dr. King at the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968, and he spent the rest of his life carrying forward the unfinished work of the movement — registering voters, challenging corporate discrimination, negotiating the release of hostages abroad, and demanding that America live up to its promise.

His 1984 presidential campaign changed the course of American politics. As the first African American candidate to win major-party state primaries and caucuses, he earned more than 3.2 million votes and proved that a Black candidate could compete at the highest level. In 1988, he more than doubled those results, winning more than a dozen state contests and emerging as a preeminent force in Democratic politics. These were not merely campaigns — they were movements that registered millions of new voters, built a Rainbow Coalition, and laid the groundwork for every Black candidate who followed, including President Barack Obama.

Beyond electoral politics, Reverend Jackson was a moral voice on the world stage. His insistence on linking civil rights with economic justice anticipated the policy debates that continue to shape our nation today.

Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. at a Joint Center event

The Joint Center was honored to walk alongside Reverend Jackson across the decades — and our histories are deeply intertwined. During the 1980s, as his campaigns galvanized Black America, our research on voting rights, economic disparities, and the impact of federal retrenchment helped inform the broader movement he electrified. Our FOCUS magazine provided some of the earliest and most rigorous analysis of Jackson’s historic candidacy when he announced in November 1983, and our late President Eddie N. Williams — widely recognized as an influential force behind Jackson’s 1984 and 1988 campaigns — worked closely with him to translate grassroots energy into lasting political infrastructure. The Joint Center’s voter mobilization efforts, including our support of Operation Big Vote, complemented Jackson’s own tireless drive to expand the electorate. Together, Jackson, the Joint Center, and partners across the movement helped build the architecture of Black political power that endures today.

In 2011, the Joint Center presented Reverend Jackson with our highest distinction — the Louis E. Martin Great American Award — in recognition of his lifetime of service. And when Eddie Williams passed in 2017, Reverend Jackson was among the first to honor his memory, paying tribute to the fact that Williams’s “contribution to Black political life and growth was enormous.” That mutual respect reflected something larger than any single organization or leader — it reflected the enduring bond between bold, visionary action and the rigorous policy work that sustains it.

Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, president of the Joint Center, stated, “Reverend Jackson trained my mother in non-violent resistance in the 1960s and inspired me to study politics as a youth in the 1980s. Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaigns advanced African American electoral politics in a historic fashion. His grassroots rallying against racial injustice, his critique of economic inequality, and his call for political empowerment still serve as a template of the best of American politics. The Joint Center is proud to stand in his legacy and continue his tradition of fighting to bring the moral principles of the Black freedom movement into the policy and political decision-making of the United States.”

Reverend Jackson often said, “Keep hope alive.” That was never an empty phrase — it was a mandate born of struggle, sustained by faith, and proven by a lifetime of action. His example reminds us that progress is never guaranteed, but neither is it ever truly lost when people of conscience continue the fight.

To Jacqueline, Santita, Jesse Jr., Jonathan, Yusef, Jacqueline, Ashley, and the entire Jackson family — we hold you close. You shared him with the nation and the world, and we are forever grateful.

Rest in power, Reverend Jackson.