admin
The nation learned on February 17, 2026 that the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. has died at the age of 84, a fact confirmed by his family and reported widely across the country. For many Americans his passing marks the end of a chapter in 20th century civic life, and conservatives should acknowledge the role he played in shaping modern political coalitions even as we critique the direction those coalitions took.
Jackson rose from humble beginnings to become a visible lieutenant to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., leading initiatives like Operation Breadbasket and later founding what became the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition to push corporate America and government on racial and economic issues. Those organizing efforts mobilized many and secured real gains for some communities, but they also institutionalized a politics of grievance that too often privileged litmus tests and identity over individual responsibility.
He ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, building a multiracial coalition that reshaped Democratic politics and helped normalize the idea of identity-based power brokering within the party. Conservatives should not pretend those campaigns were inconsequential; Jackson’s success exposed how left-wing machines could harvest votes while promising ever-larger government solutions in exchange for loyalty.
On the world stage Jackson won plaudits for negotiating the release of Americans held abroad and for his role in humanitarian interventions, achievements that earned him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000. Conservatives can respect the patriotism of securing Americans’ freedom while still questioning a lifetime of policies that often pushed for expanded federal programs and punitive measures against private enterprise.
Yet his tactics were not without controversy; Operation PUSH’s use of boycotts, pressure campaigns and public shaming moved the needle on corporate diversity while also encouraging an adversarial, coercive form of politics that chills free market decisions and open debate. Those methods, and the personal scandals that surfaced over the years, remind Americans that political influence can be wielded in ways that undermine individual accountability and civic unity.
In recent years Jackson battled a debilitating neurological disorder yet still turned up at public events, an image that for many was moving even as the substance of his politics remains disputed. As hardworking Americans mourn the passing of a man who once marched beside Dr. King, conservatives should honor his courage where it existed, remember the real gains made by citizens who pursued opportunity, and recommit to a vision of colorblind liberty and personal responsibility that lifts everyone without turning politics into a permanent grievance industry.
