Civil rights icon Jesse Jackson dies at 84 after decades of activism

Legendary civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson died this morning at age 84 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease and another rare brain disease.

The Baptist minister and two-time presidential candidate rose to prominence during the civil rights era, participating in demonstrations alongside Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. His activism spanned decades, including historic runs for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988.

Watch: Clayborn Benson reflects on Rev. Jesse Jackson's legacy

Jackson's influence extended to Wisconsin, where he visited as early as 1972 to encourage voter registration at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. During his second presidential run in 1988, he came in second in Wisconsin while making significant strides in breaking racial barriers in politics.

In February 1988, Jackson stood with UAW workers in Kenosha, fighting for their jobs after Chrysler announced the closure of the historic assembly plant.

"We are big enough we can win," Jackson told the crowd during that bitterly cold rally on 52nd Street.

Local union leader John Drew remembered the devastating impact of losing 5,500 jobs when the plant closed.

"It was really the first big auto assembly plant closing. Since that time, over 60 auto plants in the U.S. have closed, and Jesse was really ahead of his time, speaking out, and making that a central focus of his campaign," Drew said.

Drew described Jackson as "a presidential candidate who was really cut from a different cloth than the others running."

"He was running on a platform of economic justice for workers, and that really hit home with us," Drew said.

Jackson's commitment to justice brought him to Wisconsin multiple times throughout his career. In 2015, he rallied with the family of Dontre Hamilton, who was fatally shot by an officer in Red Arrow Park. Jackson was also a frequent presence in Kenosha in 2020 after police shot Jacob Blake in the back as he got into a car, leaving him paralyzed and a city divided by unrest.

Drew reflected on Jackson's legacy as someone who appeared "wherever there was injustice, wherever there was a fight for economic justice."

"We lost a trailblazer, someone who was able to bring his message to a national stage," Drew said. "We all owe a debt of gratitude to Jesse Jackson for a life well lived in the service of working people."

This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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