U.S. civil rights leader Jesse Jackson has died at the age of 84.
Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr., who was widely considered one of the most influential African-American activists of the 20th and 21st centuries, died peacefully on Tuesday morning surrounded by his family, the Jacksons announced on social media.
"His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity," the statement reads. "A tireless change agent, he elevated the voices of the voiceless from his Presidential campaigns in the 1980s to mobilising millions to register to vote - leaving an indelible mark on history."
The family are quoted as saying, "Our father was a servant leader - not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world. We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honour his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by."
Jackson began his career as a young protege of Martin Luther King Jr. and was offered a position in his civil rights group, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
Jackson went on to found his own organisations: People United to Save Humanity (PUSH) in 1971, and the National Rainbow Coalition in 1984. Both groups pursued social justice, civil rights, and political activism, and merged to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in the 1990s.
After being a prominent fixture in the civil rights movement since the 1960s, Jackson turned his attention to Democratic politics and launched a bid for the presidency in 1984. He finished in third place for the Democratic nomination.
He mounted a second attempt in 1988 and finished as runner-up for the nomination. While he never sought the presidency again, he served as United States Shadow Senator from the District of Columbia between 1991 and 1997.
Later in his career, Jackson, an ordained Baptist minister, hosted the CNN show Both Sides with Jesse Jackson from 1992 to 2000.
In 2000, he received America's highest civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from then-President Bill Clinton.
Jackson's cause of death has not yet been confirmed, however, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2017. Late last year, after being hospitalised a couple of times, it was revealed that he been living with the rare degenerative condition progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) for more than a decade.
The activist is survived by his wife Jacqueline, their five children Santita, Jesse Jr., Jonathan, Yusef and Jacqueline, and his daughter Ashley.
