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The nation woke to the solemn news that the Rev. Jesse Jackson died on February 17, 2026, at the age of 84, his family announced, saying he passed peacefully in Chicago surrounded by loved ones. For millions he was a towering figure who rose from segregation-era Greenville to the front lines of the civil rights struggle. The announcement closed a long chapter in modern American protest and political advocacy.
Jackson’s name is forever linked to the Martin Luther King Jr. era and the hard, grassroots work that followed — from marching in Selma to building institutions aimed at lifting Black Americans. He founded Operation PUSH and later the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, organizations that sought economic leverage and corporate accountability for communities left behind. Whether you agreed with every tactic or not, his role in reshaping post‑King activism is undeniable.
Politically, Jackson broke barriers by mounting presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988, pushing the Democratic Party to reckon with race and representation in ways it had not before. His bids energized new blocs of voters and made a mockery of the old political calculation that Black leadership could be sidelined in national contests. Those campaigns were not without controversy, and his blunt rhetoric sometimes crossed lines that deserved criticism from all sides.
In recent years Jackson battled a serious neurodegenerative condition, progressive supranuclear palsy, and was hospitalized in November 2025 before ultimately passing this week. His family’s statements trace the arc of a life that included not only protest and politics but also diplomatic efforts to free Americans abroad and to pressure institutions for change. The quiet of his final moments stands in contrast to the loud, unrelenting public life he led.
As conservatives, we can both recognize the courage it took to stand against Jim Crow and also call out the excesses of the modern left he often aligned with — a politics that too frequently substitutes shaming and quotas for real opportunity and personal responsibility. Jackson made a career of name‑and‑shame tactics against corporations and political opponents, tactics that may have won headlines but also hardened divisions and deepened identity politics. Let us remember his victories for justice while rejecting the notion that coercion and grievance should be the primary engines of civic life.
Today, hardworking Americans of every background should pause to honor the gains made because of the struggle he helped lead, and then get back to building a country where equal opportunity, not government fiat, is the path forward. We owe it to the memory of civil rights pioneers to insist on law, order, and the dignity of work — not the permanent politics of victimhood. In mourning, let us recommit to unity, free speech, and the principles that truly lift people out of poverty and powerlessness.
