The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., a civil rights icon who worked directly with The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Rev. James Lawson leading the Civil Rights Movement in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s, passed away on February 17, 2026, at the age of 84. An iconic photo, taken on April 4, 1968, shows him in front of Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel, right after the assassination of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States. The Rev. James Lawson, a Methodist minister who taught non-violence techniques to African American communities, was there as well.
Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. James Lawson in Tennessee (Photo: The Tennessean)
Jesse Jackson was a protégé of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and, after 1968, went on to become one of the key leaders for civil rights, voting rights, and human rights. A great orator, he would often recite a poem, “I am – Somebody” in a liturgical “Call and Response” manner, inviting participants in his rallies to affirm their identity, dignity, and purpose:
”I may be Young
but I am
Somebody.
I may be on Welfare
but I am
Somebody.
I may be on Small
but I am
Somebody.
I may make a Mistake
but I am
Somebody!
My clothes are different,
My face is different,
My hair is different,
but I am
Somebody.
I am black, brown, white.
I speak a different language.
But I must be respected,
protected,
never rejected.
I am God’s child.
I am
Somebody!”
Jesse Jackson established his own civil rights organization, Operation PUSH, in 1971, which eventually became the Rainbow PUSH Coalition based in Chicago, IL. He also decided to run for the presidency of the United States in 1984 and 1988, generating a movement for voting rights and political participation that engaged African Americans and other disenfranchised populations and paved the way for the election of Barack Obama as the first African American President of the United States in 2008.
Jesse Jackson was also involved in education, leading several initiatives for educational equity, support of teachers, and collaborative interactions between institutions and their surrounding communities. He attended Sterling High School in Greenville, South Carolina, graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from North Carolina A&T State University, attended Chicago Theological Seminary, and received more than 40 honorary doctorate degrees, including from Methodist-related institutions such as Clark Atlanta University – which honored him in 1988 as Clark College, and then again in 2017 as a joint university – and Union College – now Union Commonwealth University –, when President David Joyce welcome him and IAMSCU in 2000.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson and former Clark Atlanta President, Dr. Ronald Johnson (Clark Atlanta)
IAMSCU mourns the passing of The Rev. Jesse Jackson and celebrates his life and legacy as we conclude February as the Black History month in 2026.