Politics
Jesse Jackson’s Children Honor the Civil Rights Leader a Day After His Death
Jesse Jackson Jr. stands near a picture of his father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, during a news conference outside the family home Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo / Erin Hooley)
The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson’s children gathered outside their family home in Chicago on Wednesday to honor and highlight the life and legacy of their father, the civil rights leader who died Tuesday at the age of 84.
“For us, each of my siblings and my mother, we wanted to give him comfort that it was going to be alright, that he has taught us enough to continue his work, and so with that, we thank him in so many ways,” said Yusef Jackson, who now leads the Rainbow PUSH Coalition after his father stepped down as president in 2023.
Jesse Jackson was battling a yearslong battle with progressive supranuclear palsy, a life-threatening neurological disorder, which required more caregiver support as the disease began to more severely affect his speech and mobility, according to Yusef Jackson.
Yusef Jackson described his father as “stubborn to the very, very end” and as being sustained by his desire for service in those final days. Jesse Jackson set an example for the city and for this family, Yusef Jackson said, adding that while his death did not come without warning, the family was still unprepared emotionally.
Members of the Jackson family, at times fighting back tears, spoke about the impact their father has had on them. They highlighted his fight against injustice and inequality throughout his life, especially in his advocacy for voter rights, education and ending poverty.
Congressman Jonathan Jackson speaks during a news conference regarding the death of his father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, outside the family home Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo / Erin Hooley)
U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson spoke about his father growing up in the Jim Crow South, and how he got arrested for entering a segregated public library in South Carolina. “Let’s not measure the man by where he ended,” Jonathan Jackson said, “but think about where he had to start.”
Jesse Jackson was born in Greenville, South Carolina, and became a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1965, Jesse Jackson joined the voting rights march King led from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. King dispatched him to Chicago to launch Operation Breadbasket, a Southern Christian Leadership Conference effort to pressure companies to hire Black workers. Jesse Jackson led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after King’s assassination.
Jesse Jackson was with King on April 4, 1968, when the civil rights leader was slain.
“Men in his line of work didn’t make it past 39 — Medgar, Malcolm, Dr. King,” said Santita Jackson. “My prom night, he said, ‘I’m so happy that I have this moment because Malcolm, Medgar, Martin didn’t have this opportunity.’”
Family members confirmed Jesse Jackson died at home in Chicago, surrounded by family. He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, who is 81.
“I’ve had to try to fix my language in the last day,” Jonathan Jackson said. “I caught myself yesterday saying ‘My parents,’ and now I have to say ‘My parent.’ I thank God for 60 years of being able to have both parents.”
Jonathan Jackson noted taking inspiration from his father when he had the opportunity to speak as co-chair of the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., earlier this month. Video of Jonathan Jackson’s prayer during the event, as President Donald Trump stood behind him on stage, garnered widespread attention online.
Trump reacted to Jesse Jackson’s death in a social media post Tuesday, saying, “I knew him well, long before becoming President. He was a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and ‘street smarts.’ He was very gregarious - Someone who truly loved people!”
Santita Jackson speaks during a news conference regarding the death of her father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, outside the family home Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo / Erin Hooley)
Santita Jackson, a political commentator and radio talk show host, said the post spoke to her father’s ability to turn foes into friends, and teaching people about the importance of speaking with one another across differences and keeping lines of communication open.
“That’s not just something that you do in your politics, that’s something that you do in your personal life,” Santita Jackson said. “Believe me, we have a large family. We’ve got a lot of opinions, and sometimes we do not see eye to eye, … but we love each other.”
Jesse Jackson Jr., a former congressman who is now running for the U.S. House seat in Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District, criticized the news media’s depiction of his father during his life.
“The caricature that you’ve created as a media of who our father is, is not the reality of who we know him to be,” Jesse Jackson Jr. said Wednesday. “My mother said it this way: History is going to be far kinder to Jesse Jackson than the life that he lived.”
Public observances will be held in Chicago. Yusef Jackson said he expects services will begin next week, including a lying in state at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters, and at a large church venue. Jesse Jackson’s celebration-of-life services, including all public events, will be shared by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Jesse Jackson Jr. said his father’s funeral services would welcome all and asked those attending to be respectful. “Democrat, Republican, liberal and conservative, right wing, left wing — because his life is broad enough to cover the full spectrum of what it means to be an American,” Jesse Jackson Jr. said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]
