Dan Jacobson
Former President of the United States of America, Mr Barack Obama has mourned the passage of Reverend Jesse Jackson whom he revealed laid the foundation upon which he campaigned to emerge as President.
“Michelle and I were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of a true giant, the Reverend Jesse Jackson”, America’s first black President stated in an emotion-laden message in reaction to Jackson’s death.
Recalling how the late Reverend Jackson led various movements for change in human history, Mr Obama stressed that he never relented in advocating for freedom and democracy around the world.
“For more than 60 years, Reverend Jackson helped lead some of the most significant movements for change in human history. From organizing 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.
“Reverend Jackson also created opportunities for generations of African Americans and inspired countless more, including us. Michelle got her first glimpse of political organizing at the Jacksons’ kitchen table when she was a teenager. And in his two historic runs for president, he laid the foundation for my own campaign to the highest office of the land.
Michelle and I will always be grateful for Jesse’s lifetime of service, and the friendship our families share. We stood on his shoulders. We send our deepest condolences to the Jackson family and everyone in Chicago and beyond who knew and loved him”, the former US President concluded.
Born in 1941, Rev Jesse Jackson was a towering civil‑rights leader, Baptist Minister, and two‑time Democratic Presidential Candidate.
He rose to prominence in the 1960s as a lieutenant to Martin Luther King Jr., later founding the famous ‘Operation PUSH’ and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition to push for economic empowerment, voter registration and social justice.
His 1984 and 1988 presidential runs broke new ground for Black political participation, which led to his earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000.
Jackson passed on peacefully on February 17, 2026, at the age of 84, after a long battle with progressive supranuclear palsy.
