Feb 17, 2026 - Politics & Policy

In photos: Jesse Jackson's life, activism and politics

Russell Contreras

Group of smiling Black people in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, including children and adults, some holding hands raised, outdoors near houses and power lines on a cloudy day with Jesse Jackson. — A crowd of children gathers around Jesse Jackson, center, with African National Congress activist Walter Sisulu (white hair) and other dignitaries in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, Feb. 8, 1990. Photo: Peter Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

The Rev. Jesse Jackson died Tuesday after a career in activism and politics during a national transformation in civil rights and inequality, where he worked alongside Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and made a historic presidential run.

Through the lens: Here's a look at some of Jackson's most memorable moments, from rallying Black residents devastated by riots in Los Angeles to meeting Nelson Mandela after being released from prison.

Mahalia Jackson, left, sings "We Shall Overcome," with civil rights leaders the Rev. Martin Luther King, third left, Jesse Jackson, second from right, and Albert Raby, right, on Aug. 4, 1966. Ray Foster/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Jesse Jackson, interviewed by reporters at Chicago's O'Hare Airport the day after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination in Memphis, April 1968 — Jackson, interviewed by reporters at Chicago's O'Hare Airport the day after Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination in Memphis, in April 1968. Jackson was standing next to King before he was shot. Photo: Robert Abbott Sengstacke/Getty Images

As he walks through O'Hare Airport, Jesse Jackson holds a copy of the Daily Defender newspaper, which features the headline 'King Murdered!,' Chicago, Illinois, April 5, 1968. — As he walks through O'Hare Airport, Jackson holds a copy of the Daily Defender newspaper, which features the headline 'King Murdered!,' on April 5, 1968. Photo: Robert Abbott Sengstacke/Getty Images

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, director of Operation Bread Basket, a unit of the Southern Christian Leadership, salutes people attending Newark City Council meeting in Newark, N.J. in July 1970. — Jackson, director of Operation Bread Basket, a unit of the Southern Christian Leadership, salutes people attending a Newark City Council meeting in Newark, N.J., in July 1970. Photo: Patrella/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

An advertisement of the documentary "Wattstax," a music festival in Los Angeles in 1972 that drew 100,000 people and where Jesse Jackson gave his famous, "I Am Somebody," speech. — An advertisement for the documentary "Wattstax," a music festival in Los Angeles in 1972 that drew 100,000 people, and where Jackson gave his famous "I Am Somebody" speech. Photo: LMPC via Getty Images

Jesse Jackson announces in Washington, D.C. that he is running for president as a Democrat to challenge President Reagan. — Jackson announces in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 3, 1983, that he is running for president as a Democrat to challenge President Reagan. Photo: Jean-Louis Atlan/Sygma via Getty Images

The marque at the Apollo Theater advertises a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Jesse Jackson, Feb. 1, 1984. — The marquee at the Apollo Theater advertises a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Jackson on Feb. 1, 1984. Photo: Jacques M. Chenet/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

In a hotel room during the 1984 Democratic National Convention, American pop singer Michael Jackson attends a press conference with politician Jesse Jackson, San Francisco, Calif., July 1984. — In a hotel room during the 1984 Democratic National Convention, American pop singer Michael Jackson attends a press conference with Jackson in San Francisco, July 1984. Photo: Robert R. McElroy/Getty Images

South African activist Nelson Mandela, Jesse Jackson, and New York City Mayor David Dinkins when Mandela visited New York City, 1990. — South African activist Nelson Mandela, center, with Jackson, right, and New York City Mayor David Dinkins in New York City, 1990. Photo: David Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

Jesse Jackson speaks to the press during the Los Angeles riots in 1992. — Jackson speaks to the press during the Los Angeles riots in 1992. Photo: Peter Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

Jesse Jackson shaking hands with residents of Oglala Lakota Nation during a July 1999 visit by President Clinton -- the first US president to visit a Native American reservation since Presidents Coolidge and Roosevelt. — Jackson shaking hands with residents of the Oglala Lakota Nation during a July 1999 visit by President Clinton, the first U.S. president to visit a Native American reservation since Presidents Coolidge and Roosevelt. Photo: Dirck Halstead/Getty Images

The image of a weeping Rev. Jesse Jackson is projected onto a large screen as CNN announces the victory of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on November 4, 2008 as a crowd watches. — The image of a weeping Jackson is projected onto a large screen as CNN announces the victory of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Nov. 4, 2008, during Obama's election night rally at Grant Park in Chicago. Photo: Stan Honda/AFP via Getty Images

A frail (and in a wheelchair) Jesse Jackson took part in a prayer (his hand is being held by U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters) when the marchers stopped on the bridge in Selma, Ala., in March 2025 to remember marchers and John Lewis who took part in the Bloody Sunday event 60 years before. — A frail (and in a wheelchair) Jackson took part in a prayer (his hand is being held by U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters) when the marchers stopped on the bridge in Selma, Alabama, in March 2025 to remember the marchers and John Lewis, who took part in the Bloody Sunday event 60 years before. Photo: Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Go deeper: Civil rights icon Jesse Jackson dies at 84

Add Axios on Google

In photos: Jesse Jackson's life, activism and politics

What to read next