“He dared to keep hope alive.” Tributes are pouring in to honor Rev. Jesse L. Jackson

Reactions are pouring in after the death of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who led the American civil rights movement for decades. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s disciple and two-time presidential candidate was 84 years old.

Jackson led crusades throughout his life in the United States and abroad, championing the poor and underrepresented on issues from voting rights and job opportunities to education and health care. He has scored diplomatic victories with world leaders and, through the Rainbow/PUSH coalition, taken cries for black pride and self-determination to corporate boardrooms and pressured CEOs to make America a more open and equitable society.

When he declared “I am somebody” in a poem he often repeated, he was seeking to reach people of all colors. “I may be poor, but I am somebody; I may be young; but I am somebody; I may be living on welfare, but I am somebody,” intoned America’s most famous civil rights activist since King.

Santita Jackson confirmed that her father died at his home in Chicago, surrounded by his family.

Here are the latest honors:

NAACP honors ‘towering moral voice’

Jackson was “a transformational leader whose career is deeply woven into the history, mission, and lasting impact of our association and the nation,” the NAACP statement said.

“He challenged this nation to live up to its highest ideals, and reminded our movement that hope is both a strategy and a responsibility,” said the joint statement from NAACP President Leon W. Russell, NAACP Vice President Karen Boykin Towns, and NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson.

“Now, more than ever, we honor his legacy by continuing the work he stood for: protecting the right to vote, expanding economic opportunity, and fighting for the freedom and dignity of Black people everywhere,” they said. “Pastor Jackson’s death represents the loss of a loud moral voice, but the movement he helped build will carry his light forward. His legacy calls on each of us to stay committed, to stay organized, and to stay loyal to the pursuit of justice.”

A Chicago congressman regrets the death of his friend

A statement by Representative Danny K. said: Davies: “Of course, we knew he had been sick for some time and that he would eventually come around.” “The work and the spirit and what it means, not just to the city, the state, the country and this world, will continue to live on.”

“I extend my condolences to his family. Mrs. Jackie Jackson, all of his children, and the work he did will live on, because they are all seriously involved in public decision-making. Even though he is gone, he will continue to live on.”

Atlanta mayor means to keep Jackson’s hopes alive

“I join the people of Atlanta in mourning the death of an American icon,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said. “Pastor Jackson has consistently shown up for us. He has never stopped challenging leaders to do better for Americans, especially when it comes to economic justice. And this is a fight we will continue.”

“Here in Atlanta, as well as across the country, we would be wise to heed Reverend Jackson’s words and keep hope alive.” “We intend to do so,” his statement said.

Illinois Governor orders flags to be flown at half-staff

Governor J.B. Pritzker ordered flags throughout Illinois to be flown at half-staff in honor of the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Pritzker, a Democrat, called Jackson a “giant of the civil rights movement.”

“He broke barriers, inspired generations, and kept hope alive,” Pritzker said in his social media posts. “Our state, our nation and our world are better because of his years of service.”

The Human Rights Campaign recalls Jackson’s support for marriage equality

Kelly Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, praised Jackson for embodying “courage, hope and resolve that will not be denied.”

“His historic presidential campaigns paved the way for generations of Black leaders to imagine ourselves in rooms we were once told were closed to us,” Robinson said in a statement.

“Pastor Jackson also stood up when it mattered; when it wasn’t easy and when it wasn’t popular. His support for marriage equality and for LGBTQ+ people affirmed a simple, powerful truth: Our liberation is bound together.”

Coretta Scott King holds hands while singing with the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Christine Farris, sister of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as they perform on Peachtree Street in Atlanta on January 19, 1987 to honor King’s birthday. Photography by Charles Kelly/AP Photo

Civil rights prosecutor says Jackson reminds Americans to ‘keep up the good fight’

Christine Clark, a former assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice during the Biden administration, said Jackson’s impact “can be felt in almost every aspect of American life.”

“He was a tireless and extraordinary public servant whose mission before all of us was to remain optimistic, continue the good fight, and respect the dignity and humanity of all people,” Clark said in an email statement Tuesday. “Jackson was, and always will be, an essential part of the story about America’s ongoing quest for justice and equality.”

King’s son hopes Jackson’s life will inspire others to be “louder, braver, and more loyal.”

“Jackson was more than just a civil rights advocate, he was a living bridge between generations, continuing the unfinished work and sacred promise of the civil rights movement,” Martin Luther King III and his wife, Andrea King, said in a statement.

“He walked courageously when the path was uncertain, spoke with conviction when the truth was uncomfortable, and stood with the poor, the marginalized, and the forgotten when doing so was not common. His life was a testament to the power of faith in action — the belief that justice is possible, that dignity belongs to every person, and that love must always have the last word.”

“May his memory be a source of strength and courage to all who continue the sacred work for which he gave his life. As he often reminded us, ‘Keep hope alive.’

The leader of the Poor People’s Campaign recalls Jackson’s hope in the American promise

Bishop William J. Barber II, who co-founded the Poor People’s Campaign: “Jesse Jackson was a gift from God and a witness that God is present in the ways he nurtured and lifted up everyone, the way he called on a rainbow coalition of people to challenge economic and social inequality from the pulpit to the historic presidential election, and the way he dared to keep hope alive whenever the nation struggled to be who you say you are, and yet you must be.”

“When I was an undergraduate, he was a gift to me as a mentor, and it was a great honor to have him walk alongside me through my entire public service,” Barber said. “Let us all carry his hope for an America that never existed but yet must be.”

Senator Raphael Warnock on Jackson: ‘His service was poetry’

“America has lost one of its great moral voices,” said Warnock, a Georgia Democrat who serves as senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the King family’s “spiritual home.” The Rev. Jesse Jackson spent his life working to ensure that our nation lived up to its highest ideals. From his early days as a young staffer with Dr. King on the national stage, he fought for freedom, racial justice, equality and human dignity for the marginalized and the poor.

“With eloquence and rhetoric all his own, Jesse Jackson reminded America that equal justice is not inevitable; it requires vigilance, commitment and, for freedom fighters, sacrifice. His service was poetry and spiritual force in the public arena. He advanced King’s dream and brought the arc of history closer to justice,” Warnock said.

The President of South Africa credits Jackson with accelerating the end of apartheid

Jackson, who first traveled to South Africa in July 1979, just after the death of Steve Biko, strongly advocated US sanctions on the apartheid regime and supported Nelson Mandela’s anti-apartheid struggle.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said that his “campaigns to end apartheid included divestment from the apartheid economy and challenging the support that the regime enjoyed in some circles and institutions at the international level.”

“We are deeply indebted to the energy, principled clarity and personal risk with which he sustained our struggle and campaign for freedom and equality in other parts of the world.”

Rev. Al Sharpton recalls his teacher’s lesson: “Faith without action is just noise.”

“Today, I lost the man who first called me to purpose when I was just 12 years old,” Sharpton said. “Our nation has lost one of its greatest moral voices. The Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson was not just a civil rights leader; he was a movement in his own right. He carried history in his footsteps and hope in his voice.”

“One of the greatest honors of my life is to learn alongside him. He reminded me that faith without action is just noise. He taught me that protest must have a purpose, that faith must have feet, and that justice is not seasonal, but daily work.”

The daughter of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. praises a life of service to humanity

“He was a gifted negotiator and a courageous bridge-builder, serving humanity by bringing calm to tense rooms and creating paths that did not exist,” Rev. Bernice King said.

He added, “My family shares a long and meaningful history with him, rooted in a shared commitment to justice and love. As we grieve, we give thanks for the lives that brought hope to weary places.”

US President Donald Trump says Jackson will be “missed”

Trump remembered Jackson in a social media post, calling him “a good man, with a lot of character, determination, and street smarts.”

The Republican president also described Jackson as “very sociable – someone who really loves people!”.

He added: “He loved his family very much, and I send them my deepest condolences and condolences. We will miss Jesse!” Trump wrote.