Jesse Jackson standing at a podium addressing a crowd of people while campaigning for President in 1988. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of John H. White/Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photojournalist [Photo: Instagram]
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture released the following statement today, February 17, 2026, regarding the death of civil rights leader, humanitarian, and politician Jesse Jackson.
“It is with deep sadness that we mourn the passing of civil rights leader, Baptist minister, humanitarian, and two-time Democratic presidential candidate Jesse Jackson,” said Shanita Brackett, Acting Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. “As a lifelong champion of human rights and social justice, Jackson rose to become one of the nation’s foremost religious and political figures and one of the most iconic figures in the latter 20th century. During his life of service, Jackson was often the great unifier leading the charge to galvanize people together across race, gender, class, and beliefs.”
Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson grew up during the era of Jim Crow. As a child, Jackson showed potential as an exceptional student and athlete, leading to his football scholarship at the University of Illinois. He graduated high school 10th in his class and was elected class president, a leadership role that would prepare him for his future in politics. After one year, Jackson transferred to North Carolina A&T where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Sociology. Jackson participated in local civil rights demonstrations during his undergraduate years and became heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement. In 1965, he participated in the Selma March with Martin Luther King Jr., which led to his involvement with King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) where he was eventually appointed as director of the economic branch.
After leaving the SCLC, Jackson founded Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity), a Chicago-based group that sought to uplift the Black community and work for economic justice. A few years later in 1984, Jackson helped found the National Rainbow Coalition, which fought for equal rights for African Americans, women, and the LGBTQ+ community. Eventually, the two groups merged to become the largely successful Rainbow/ PUSH Coalition, a non-profit whose mission is to protect, defend, and gain civil rights by leveling the economic and educational playing fields. They have launched many initiatives, such as the ongoing “Wall Street Project” which encourages leading financial firms and Fortune 500 companies to ensure equal opportunity for employees and consumers.
While running Operation PUSH, Jackson was a statehood senator for the District of Columbia and became the second African American to make a national run for the U.S. presidency. Jackson was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and again in 1988. As a strong orator, Jackson successfully negotiated the release of American captives from several countries in the 1980s and 1990s, earning him the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by President Bill Clinton. His push to improve the economic lives of African Americans and civil rights of all Americans made him a strong advocate for human rights and a prolific figure in the Black community.
Jackson will be remembered for his tireless and unrelenting dedication to activism and for being a leading spokesman for issues impacting African Americans and the disenfranchised.
About the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Since opening Sept. 24, 2016, the National Museum of African American History and Culture has welcomed 13 million in-person visitors and millions more through its digital presence. Occupying a prominent location next to the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the nearly 400,000-square-foot museum is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting and
