Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson dies at 84. The Rainbow PUSH Coalition statement honors his historic legacy and path to the presidency.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson has left us at 84. A protégé of Martin Luther King Jr., architect of the Rainbow Coalition, and a figure whose 1980s presidential runs forced America to confront its pluralism head-on. His life was one of unyielding moral clarity amid complexity—pushing not just for rights, but for recognition of the voiceless everywhere.
In Canada, where we often look southward for lessons in both aspiration and caution, Jackson’s story quietly underscores our own imperfect pursuit of inclusion. What does it mean, in an era of renewed calls for equity, to keep hope alive without simplifying the work ahead?
