Jesse Jackson’s Enduring LegacyJesse Jackson’s family announced that he died peacefully early Tuesday morning, February 17, 2026. Jackson was a human being. He fought to keep the civil rights movement alive after witnessing Martin Luther King, Jr’s assassination. And he understood the undeniable power of coalition building. When I reflect on Jackson’s legacy and impact, I’m most grateful for his steadfast belief in hope. He punctuated his 1988 Democratic Convention speech, as only a Baptist preacher could, with the refrain, “We must never surrender. American can get better and better. Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive!” I’ll never forget the first time I met the civil rights icon. I was an intern for a tech nonprofit that shared office space with the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and let’s just say I was having a hard time in my personal life at the moment. Maybe Jackson could sense my sadness, or maybe he was just encouraging to every young person he met, but that day, he gave me a clear message: “No matter what, keep pushing forward.” That advice was evergreen personally, and especially politically. Pushing forward means taking action without knowing the outcome. It means holding onto a mission with a unwavering perseverance. Pushing forward is the essence of practicing hope, something Jesse Jackson did for all of his adult life as he evolved from Baptist preacher and civil rights activist, to global coalition builder and presidential candidate. I have no idea where the photo I took with Jackson that day is, but I have never lost the hopeful sentiment he shared with me. And I’m grateful to have shared space with him and learned from him even for a few moments.
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