Obit Jesse Jackson
FILE - Rev. Jesse Jackson gestures to a friend in the balcony at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., Sept. 15, 2013. The church held a ceremony honoring the memory of the four young girls who were killed by a bomb placed outside the church 50 years ago by members of the Ku Klux Klan. At right is U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala.
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The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson has died. He was 84. Jackson was a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King and became a leader of the Civil Rights Movement for decades after King was assassinated in 1968. A two-time presidential candidate, Jackson led a lifetime of political crusades. He advocated for the poor and underrepresented on issues from voting rights and job opportunities to education and health care. He scored diplomatic victories with world leaders and channeled cries for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms. He used his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition to pressure executives to make America a more open and equitable society. His family confirmed he died Tuesday.
