Civil rights activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson died on Feb. 17, 2026, at the age of 84. Memorial services were held this weekend in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and South Carolina. On Monday, Jackson will lie in state at the South Carolina statehouse. Jackson helped lead the civil rights movement for decades after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Jackson and King first met in March 1965, Stanford University said. Jackson asked if he could work for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and create a Chicago campaign. King hired him. King and Jackson would work together for three years, Stanford University said.Jackson was talking with King from below the balcony of the Lorraine Motel when King was assassinated on April 4, 1968.Jackson continued King’s mission. Following in his footsteps, Jackson was ordained as a Baptist minister.In 1984, Jackson founded the National Rainbow Coalition, a social justice organization.Jackson ran for president as a Democrat twice in 1984 and 1988. He made several stops in California, including a rally in Stockton.In August 1988, Jackson met with Cesar Chavez near the end of his 36-day fast, protesting the use of dangerous pesticides in the fields where workers harvested food. Jackson vowed to pick up the chain of fasting to continue that movement.Thirty years ago, two of Jackson’s foundations merged to create the Rainbow Push Coalition. They help people find jobs, provide financial assistance for housing and offer thousands of scholarships. They have offices across the U.S., including in Oakland and Los Angeles.In the final years of his life, Jackson fought a rare neurological disorder that impacted his ability to speak and move. On Feb. 17, Jackson died at his home in Chicago surrounded by family. He was 84 years old.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
Civil rights activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson died on Feb. 17, 2026, at the age of 84.
Memorial services were held this weekend in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and South Carolina. On Monday, Jackson will lie in state at the South Carolina statehouse.
Jackson helped lead the civil rights movement for decades after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Jackson and King first met in March 1965, Stanford University said. Jackson asked if he could work for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and create a Chicago campaign. King hired him.
King and Jackson would work together for three years, Stanford University said.
Jackson was talking with King from below the balcony of the Lorraine Motel when King was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
Jackson continued King’s mission. Following in his footsteps, Jackson was ordained as a Baptist minister.
In 1984, Jackson founded the National Rainbow Coalition, a social justice organization.
Jackson ran for president as a Democrat twice in 1984 and 1988. He made several stops in California, including a rally in Stockton.
In August 1988, Jackson met with Cesar Chavez near the end of his 36-day fast, protesting the use of dangerous pesticides in the fields where workers harvested food. Jackson vowed to pick up the chain of fasting to continue that movement.
Thirty years ago, two of Jackson’s foundations merged to create the Rainbow Push Coalition. They help people find jobs, provide financial assistance for housing and offer thousands of scholarships. They have offices across the U.S., including in Oakland and Los Angeles.
In the final years of his life, Jackson fought a rare neurological disorder that impacted his ability to speak and move. On Feb. 17, Jackson died at his home in Chicago surrounded by family. He was 84 years old.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel