REV. JESSE JACKSON DIES AT 84
- VEDA Magazine™
- Feb 17
- 2 min read
Written by Michael Thervil
[Rev. Jesse Jackson dies 84] The legendary civil rights leader Rev. Jesse louis Jackson Sr. has unfortunately passed away today at the age of 84 years old due to a long battle with progressive supranuclear palsy. progressive supranuclear palsy is a rare and degenerative disease that affects the afflicted ability to control their movement and eye function. This particular disease took its toll on the late Rev. Jesse Jackson's today because of the buildup of what is known as the Tau Protein in his brain cells. The Rev. Jesse Jackson is survived by his six children: Santita, former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., U.S. Rep. Jonathan Luther Jackson, Yusef DuBois, Jacqueline Lavinia, and Ashley Jackson.
Rev. Jesse Jackson is a well-known legendary and somewhat controversial civil rights leader who came to prominence soon after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. whose actual name was Michael Lewis King. The late Rev. Jesse Jackson founded the civil rights organization known as the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago in December 1996 and was a “merging of two organizations” he founded earlier the “People United to Serve Humanity (PUSH, 1971) and the Rainbow Coalition (1984)”. According to the Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s website its mission is to:
“Protect, defend, and gain civil rights by leveling the economic and educational playing fields, and to promote peace and justice around the world.”
To date, the Rainbow PUSH Correlation has come to the aid of 6.3 million people and has created over 500 jobs, provided 1,500 scholarships, and has saved over 4000 homes for people all over the country. It should be noted that Rev. Jesse Jackson also campaigned for the presidency in 1988. While Rev. Jesse Jackson is known for speaking out against the various injustices against people of all ethnicities and cultural backgrounds; according to some, there have been times in which he has been surrounded by controversy.
His controversial remarks made towards former president Obama and allegations of financial mismanagement within the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, his stand pro-Palestine liberation organization stance, alignment with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, in conjunction with his extramarital affair comes to the forefront of many of his detractors.
Beyond that, he has spent the majority of his life fighting for the civil rights of others and standing in the way of injustice. His famous words “Keep hope alive” still rings in the hearts of many of his supporters today and is predicted to continue to do so far into the distant future. It’s safe to say that he will be deeply missed.
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