Former US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama have paid glowing tribute to civil rights icon Jesse Jackson, describing him as a towering figure whose legacy reshaped American democracy.
The Obamas credited him with more than six decades of transformative leadership in the struggle for equality and justice.
In a joint statement released Tuesday, they highlighted Jackson’s role in organising boycotts and sit-ins, registering millions of voters, and championing freedom and democracy globally, noting that he remained steadfast in his belief that all people deserve dignity and respect.
“For more than 60 years, Reverend Jackson helped lead some of the most significant movements for change in human history. From organising boycotts and sit-ins, to registering millions of voters, to advocating for freedom and democracy around the world, he was relentless in his belief that we are all children of God, deserving of dignity and respect,” the statement read.
The couple also spoke of Jackson’s personal impact on their own political journeys.
Michelle Obama, they said, first witnessed grassroots political organising at the Jackson family kitchen table during her teenage years.
Jackson’s two historic presidential bids helped pave the way for Barack Obama’s successful campaign to the White House.
“Michelle and I will always be grateful for Jesse’s lifetime of service, and the friendship our families share. We stood on his shoulders,” they said.
They extended their condolences to the Jackson family and to residents of Chicago and supporters worldwide who were touched by the civil rights leader’s life and work.
US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson died at the age of 84. Jackson died peacefully on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family, they say in a statement.
"Our father was a servant leader - not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world," the Jackson family say.
Jackson fought for civil rights alongside Martin Luther King Jr in the 1960s and was twice a candidate for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988.
He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2017 and was hospitalised for observation last November after being diagnosed with a degenerative condition.
Jesse Jackson was a prominent civil rights campaigner who ran twice for the Democratic Party's nomination for president in 1984 and 1988.
Born on 8 October 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson became involved in politics at an early age.
He rose to prominence in the 1960s as a leader in Martin Luther King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
He was present with King when he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968.
He launched two social justice and activism organisations: Operation PUSH in 1971, and the National Rainbow Coalition a dozen years later.
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