Reverend Jesse Jackson Has Died At 84
Death will not, and arguably cannot on any given occasion, ever arrive with any form of convenience. Even if you’re by the bedside to witness it happening, be it days or mere minutes before a loved one takes their last breath, the loss of a life will always feel like there simply wasn’t enough time.
Sadly, we are feeling that immensely as a community right now with the early morning death of civil rights icon Reverend Jesse Jackson, who died peacefully today (February 17) surrounded by family to send him off properly. He was 84.
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Jackson unfortunately wasn’t in the best of health in recent times, going back to the early post-pandemic days when he and wife, Jacqueline L. Jackson, suffered COVID-19-related health issues that triggered his Parkinson’s Disease for the worse.
More on his reported ailments below, via The New York Times:
“Mr. Jackson was hospitalized in November for treatment of a rare and particularly severe neurodegenerative condition, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), according to the advocacy organization he founded, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. In 2017, he announced that he had Parkinson’s disease, which in its early stages can produce similar effects on bodily movements and speech.
Mr. Jackson picked up the mantle of Dr. [Martin Luther] King after his assassination in 1968 and ran for president twice, long before Mr. Obama’s election in 2008. But he never achieved either the commanding moral stature of Dr. King or the ultimate political triumph attained by Mr. Obama.”
The NYT makes a striking point in that last statement. Many believed Rev. Jackson would be a sort of “second coming” to Dr. King’s legacy, who if anybody was destined for The White House well before President Obama’s historic run. Still, for everything he wasn’t or could’ve been, his entire 84 years was spent being so much better than what was expected of him. From fighting for the overall betterment of his people (read: us!) to standing up until he literally couldn’t anymore in order to enact change within the community, we truly were blessed to have this prominent man riding for us.
We can only hope his soul is somewhere catching up with the dear old friend, Marty.
Rest in peace, Reverend Jesse Jackson. You will be forever missed by the masses and your message for change shall live on through our culture.
Reverend Jesse Jackson Has Died At 84 was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
