Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. Live Memorial Service

Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. stands among the towering figures of the American civil rights movement. As a close aide to Martin Luther King Jr., he carried forward the struggle for justice after King’s assassination and helped translate protest into political power. In 1971, he founded Operation PUSH, pressing corporations and institutions to open economic opportunities for African Americans through boycotts and negotiated agreements. His historic campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 built the Rainbow Coalition, uniting Black voters, labor, farmers, and the poor into a new political force. Rev. Jackson’s voice has always called America to its highest ideals. His life reminds us that courage, faith, and organized action remain essential tools in the unfinished work of freedom and justice.