CHICAGO, United States — A broad range of political leaders, civil rights figures and organisations paid tribute on Tuesday, February 18, 2026, following the death of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a prominent civil rights activist, Baptist minister and two-time Democratic presidential candidate. He was 84.
Jackson’s family announced that he died peacefully, surrounded by relatives. No immediate cause of death was disclosed, though he had lived for several years with serious illness, including Parkinson’s disease.
Statements From Political Leaders
President Donald Trump said in a message posted on Truth Social that Jackson “was a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and ‘street smarts.’”
He added, “He loved his family greatly, and to them I send my deepest sympathies and condolences. Jesse will be missed!”
Trump later described Jackson as “a force of nature like few others before him,” and said he had provided office space for the Rainbow Coalition in Manhattan, responded to Jackson’s requests on criminal justice reform and signed long-term funding for historically Black colleges and universities.
Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said Jackson would be remembered as “a man of God and of the people,” adding that he “believed in his bones the promise of America: that we are all created equal in the image of God and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives.”
Throughout our decades of friendship and partnership, I’ve known Reverend Jackson as history will remember him: a man of God and of the people. Determined and tenacious. Unafraid of the work to redeem the soul of our Nation.
I’ve seen how Reverend Jackson has helped lead our…
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) February 17, 2026
In a joint statement, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Jackson “never stopped working for a better America with brighter tomorrows.”
Reverend Jackson never stopped working for a better America with brighter tomorrows. Hillary’s and my full statement on the passing of our dear friend: pic.twitter.com/HYsNaaKPyW
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) February 17, 2026
Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama said that Jackson’s activism “laid the foundation” for Obama’s own presidential campaign. “We stood on his shoulders,” they said.
Michelle and I were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of a true giant, the Reverend Jesse Jackson. We will always be grateful for Jesse's lifetime of service, and the friendship our families share. We stood on his shoulders. We send our deepest condolences to the Jackson… pic.twitter.com/Q68r4IJt9U
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 17, 2026
Civil Rights Leaders and Activists Respond
The Rev. Al Sharpton described Jackson as his “mentor” and said in a separate statement that “our nation lost one of its greatest moral voices.”
He added that Jackson “carried history in his footsteps and hope in his voice.”
“Reverend Jackson stood wherever dignity was under attack, from apartheid abroad to injustice at home,” Sharpton said. “His voice echoed in boardrooms and in jail cells. His presence shifted rooms. His faith never wavered.”
Bernice King, a daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., said Jackson was “a gifted negotiator and a courageous bridge-builder.”
She credited him with working to lift people in poverty and those on the margins of society through organisations including Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition.
“With the Rainbow Coalition, he cast a bold vision of an inclusive society,” she said, “uniting people across race, class, and faith to build power together and expand the table of economic opportunity.”
Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. devoted his life to lifting people in poverty, the marginalized, and those pushed to society’s edges. Through Operation PUSH, he pushed barriers and opened doors so Black people and other excluded communities could step into opportunity and dignity.
With… pic.twitter.com/ryC3aOqBb5
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) February 17, 2026
Political Legacy and Endorsements
Jackson remained an outspoken figure in national politics in later years. He was critical of Trump’s presidency, at one point saying, “Fifty years of civil rights have been threatened.”
During the 2020 presidential campaign, Jackson endorsed Senator Bernard Sanders of Vermont. At the time, Sanders said, “It is one of the honours of my life to be supported by a man who has put his life on the line for the last 50 years fighting for justice.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called Jackson “a legendary voice for the voiceless” and a “trailblazer extraordinaire,” praising his decades of work in communities across the country.
The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. was a legendary voice for the voiceless, powerful civil rights champion and trailblazer extraordinaire.
For decades, while laboring in the vineyards of the community, he inspired us to keep hope alive in the struggle for liberty and justice for all.… pic.twitter.com/bhBVq9SKdQ
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) February 17, 2026
Representative Bennie G. Thompson of Mississippi said Jackson inspired many to pursue change through rhetoric and direct action, while the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said his death marked “the loss of a towering moral voice.”
“Rev. Jesse Jackson inspired many of us to not be afraid to try to change things,” Thompson wrote on X. “His rhetoric and direct action made him a powerful force to be reckoned with. May we all extend prayer to his family at this time.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris described Jackson as “one of America’s greatest patriots” and recalled displaying a “Jesse Jackson for President” bumper sticker while she was a law student. She said his presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988 “electrified millions of Americans and showed them what could be possible.”
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.
A son of Greenville, South Carolina, Reverend Jackson first rose to the national stage as… pic.twitter.com/yLHr9N6hDy
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) February 17, 2026
As tributes continued to arrive throughout the day, leaders across political, religious and civic life emphasised Jackson’s long career advocating for civil rights, economic opportunity and social justice, and the enduring influence of the movements he helped build.
Today we mourn the passing of Rev. Jesse Jackson, a giant of the civil rights movement who never stopped demanding that America live up to its promise.⁰⁰He marched, he ran, he organized and he preached justice without apology.⁰⁰May we honor him not just in words, but in…
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) February 17, 2026
