Rev Jesse Jackson plans to retire from leading the Chicago-based civil rights organization Rainbow PUSH Coalition, which he founded in 1971. According to his son, US Rep Jonathan Jackson, Jesse Jackson will announce his plan to step down during the organization’s annual convention on Sunday. The long-time civil rights leader, who turns 82 in October, has continued to be active in civil rights efforts despite health setbacks, including being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017 and undergoing gallbladder surgery and treatment for Covid-19 in 2021.
Jackson has been a powerful voice in American politics, serving as a presidential candidate twice and guiding the modern civil rights movement on issues such as voting rights and education. He has also been a vocal advocate for social justice, participating in Covid-19 vaccination drives and standing with the family of George Floyd, whose murder in 2020 sparked a national reckoning with police brutality and racism.
Jesse Jackson (Via Jesse Jackson/Twitter)
Jackson’s career in civil rights began in the 1960s, when he was a protege of Martin Luther King. He broke away from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1971 to form Operation PUSH, which later become the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. The organization has been a platform for Jackson’s efforts to encourage corporations to hire more minorities and promote voter registration drives in communities of color.
As he steps down, Jackson’s legacy will continue to be felt through the work of his son, Jonathan, who has followed in his footsteps as a civil rights leader and has spoken proudly of his father’s uninterrupted commitment to justice. Al Sharpton, president and founder of the National Action Network, praised Jackson as an “anchor” and a “mentor” who has been a dominant figure in the struggle for social justice in American history.
