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Photos: Jesse Jackson through the years

Chicago Sun-Times: Chicago news, politics, sports and more February 17, 2026

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Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader and Chicago icon, dead at 84

Rev. Jesse Jackson, kneeling, huddles with Rev. Martin Luther King (center) and Bernard Lee of King’s staff, at a mass meeting held in Stone Temple Church, August 20, 1966.

Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, speaks with Jesse Jackson during the First Black National Political Convention at West Side High School in Gary, Indiana, March 11, 1972.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sitting with James Bevel, Jesse Jackson, Al Raby, and others at Greater Mount Hope Baptist Church on the South Side of Chicago, Aug. 18, 1966.

Reverend Jesse Jackson speaks at a press conference for the Black and Minorities Business and Cultural Expo in Chicago, Aug. 25, 1971.

Rev. Jesse Jackson walks with people at the Cabrini-Green Housing Project in July 1970.

Jesse Jackson speaks with Coretta Scott King during the First Black National Political Convention at West Side High School in Gary, Indiana, March 11, 1972.

Rev. Jesse Jackson pins an orchid corsage on Cicely Tyson at Operation PUSH headquarters at 930 E. 50th St. PUSH honored six black women at its national headquarters during Women’s Day events.

Jesse Jackson visits Stateville Correctional Center amid an inmate revolt and hostage situation, Sept. 7, 1973. — Jesse Jackson visits Stateville Correctional Center amid inmate revolt and hostage situation, Sept. 7, 1973.

Jesse Jackson, director of PUSH, Thomas Todd, Louis Stokes, and Julian Bond interview with the press regarding the PUSH Expo. Jackson sits among artwork while he waits to film a television segment, Sept. 28, 1972. The PUSH Expo is held in the International Amphitheater.

Jesse Jackson relaxes with delegates in a pool after the opening sessions conclude for the 1972 Democratic National Convention, held in Miami Beach, Florida, July 15, 1972.

Jesse Jackson and others at a press conference to announce their choice for a black mayoral candidate in Chicago, Jan. 18, 1977.

Rev. Jesse Jackson burns a set of Chicagofest tickets in protest of Jane Byrne’s nomination of three white board members to the Chicago Housing Authority, at Operation PUSH headquarters, 930 E. 50th St. in Chicago, Jul;y 31, 1982.

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson and Rev. Willie Barrow, Operation PUSH leaders, enter Mayor Jane Byrne's office for a meeting on issues of interest to the black community. — Rev. Jesse L. Jackson and Rev. Willie Barrow, Operation PUSH leaders, enter Mayor Jane Byrne’s office for a meeting on issues of interest to the black community.

Rev. Jesse Jackson attends the funeral and burial of Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad, Feb. 18, 1975. The funeral was held at Mosque Maryam while the burial was at Glenwood Cemetery, which is now Mount Glenwood Memory Gardens South in Glenwood, Ill.| Randy B. Leffingwell/Sun-Times

Rev. Jesse Jackson holds up the hand of Sheryl Walkup, 13, who recently wrote an opinion for The Chicago Sun-Times' personal view column that denounced the lyrics of a Mick Jagger song, after she addressed a meeting of Operation PUSH. — Rev. Jesse Jackson holds up the hand of Sheryl Walkup, 13, who recently wrote an opinion for The Chicago Sun-Times’ personal view column that denounced the lyrics of a Mick Jagger song, after she addressed a meeting of Operation PUSH.

Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks to a crowd outside the Chicago Police Department headquarters at 1121 S. State St. to protest a racist comment by Officer Majerczyk regarding protecting African American students during busing in Chicago, Aug. 27, 1977.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson and Muhammad Ali sit together during special services honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King at a meeting of Operation PUSH, April 4, 1978.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr. and Jesse Jackson speak at a press conference hosted by Johnson Publishing Company in Chicago, July 18, 1077.

Jesse Jackson (far right) joins Al Raby, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ed Berry at the Civil Rights Summit meeting in Chicago in 1966. — Jesse Jackson, far right, joins Al Raby, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ed Berry at the Civil Rights Summit meeting in Chicago in 1966.

U.S. Rev. Jesse Jackson, second from right, holds hands with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, second from left, and Yugoslav Minister of Foreign Affairs Zivadin Jovanovic, left, and U.S. Rep. Rod Blagojevich, D-Ill., right, during a prayer led by Jackson in Belgrade Saturday, May 1, 1999. Milosevic agreed Saturday to release three American soldiers captured last month, the state-run Tanjug news agency said. Tanjug said the three would be handed over to Jackson as part of his ``peace effort.'' — U.S. Rev. Jesse Jackson, second from right, holds hands with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, second from left, and Yugoslav Minister of Foreign Affairs Zivadin Jovanovic, left, and U.S. Rep. Rod Blagojevich, D-Ill., right, during a prayer led by Jackson in Belgrade Saturday, May 1, 1999. Milosevic agreed Saturday to release three American soldiers captured last month, the state-run Tanjug news agency said. Tanjug said the three would be handed over to Jackson as part of his ``peace effort.’'

Jesse Jackson speaks to incarcerated people during his annual Christmas visit to the Cook County Jail, sponsored by Operation PUSH, Dec. 25, 1989.

The Rev. Jesse l. Jackson and Oliver Tambo, president of the African National Congress, an anti-apartheid group banned by the South African government, respond to cheers at Operation PUSH headquarters.

Publisher John H. Johnson, left, is seen with actor Bill Cosby, center, and Rev. Jesse Jackson at a benefit reception for Operation PUSH in Chicago on April 1, 1982. Johnson, the founder and publisher of Jet and Ebony magazines died Monday, Aug. 8, 2005. He was 87.

Jesse Jackson receives a commemorative gift from Mayor Harold Washington after returning to Chicago from freeing a captured Navy airman from Syria, Jan. 10, 1984. Jackson is a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.

U.5. Attorney Don K. Webb, left, with Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Operation PUSH president, discusses vote fraud allegedly uncovered Tuesday at a West Side polling place in a senior citizen home.

Rev. Jesse Jackson and Barrack Obama talk at the 15th Annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Award breakfast, Jan. 16, 2005.

Rev. Jesse Jackson and former President Bill Clinton confer at the PUSH annual convention on Aug. 8, 2001 in Chicago.

Rev. Jesse Jackson and Mayor Richard Daley speak during the 11th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Breakfast, Jan. 15, 2001.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, right, marches with Wallingford, Conn., residents outside Paul's Episcopal Church to the town hall as Ku Klux Klan members wave flags and yell taunts to the crowd from the side during the march for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in Wallingford, Conn., Wednesday, April 26, 2000. — The Rev. Jesse Jackson, right, marches with Wallingford, Conn., residents outside Paul’s Episcopal Church to the town hall as Ku Klux Klan members wave flags and yell taunts to the crowd from the side during the march for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in Wallingford, Conn., Wednesday, April 26, 2000.

Jesse Jackson stands for the Black National Anthem at the Congressional Black Caucus summit on urban violence at Chicago State University, Friday, July 26, 2013.

Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks about the weekend violence at a press conference on Monday after an especially bloody weekend in Chicago, July 8, 2013.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson and Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis march during a rally in opposition to the plan to close public schools in Chicago, Wednesday, March 27, 2013.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson tries to lift the hood off Klu Klux Klan member Mike Akia, from Milford, Conn., during a protest of Jackson’s visit to Wallingford, Conn., in support of the Martin Luther King bill. The state Senate gave final approval to the King Day bill, which will require all municipalities in Connecticut to recognize the holiday.

A 17-year-old was shot and wounded in the 4900 block of South Drexel Boulevard on Friday. The Rev. Jesse Jackson ran outside the headquarters to see the youth on the ground, according to a local television station. Jackson later counseled friends and family members of the victim and drove them to the hospital.

Father Michael Pfleger, of the Faith Community of St. Sabina, Rev. Jesse Jackson (left) and State Sen. Jacqueline Collins (right) led hundreds on a march down the Magnificent Mile, carrying crosses for all those killed by Chicago violence in 2016 and to call for an end to violence in 2017, Saturday morning, Dec. 31, 2016.

In this Aug. 3, 1986 photo, the Rev. Willie T. Barrow, left, confers with Jesse Jackson Jr., center, and Chicago Mayor Harold Washington during the Operation PUSH convention in Chicago.

Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks to the congregation at the New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, Sunday, June, 29, 2014.

Jesse Jackson honored (l-r) Brandon Green (catcher/pitcher), Joshua Houston (the pitcher for JRW West) and D.J. Butler at a rally at Rainbow PUSH. Rainbow PUSH held the rally for the Jackie Robinson West Little League Team on February 14, 2015. — Jesse Jackson honored (l-r) Brandon Green (catcher/pitcher), Joshua Houston (the pitcher for JRW West) and D.J. Butler at a rally at Push. Rainbow Push held the rally for the Jackie Robinson West Little League Team on February 14, 2015.

Physician Kiran Chekka injects Rev. Jesse Jackson with the COVID-19 vaccine in the Roseland Community Hospital’s parking lot in the Roseland neighborhood, Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. Kizzmekia Corbett, the National Institute of Health’s lead scientist for coronavirus vaccine research, and Jackson kicked off a campaign to raise awareness about the vaccine and encourage African Americans and Latinx to get vaccinated.

Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot (left) shakes hands with former mayoral candidate Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle as Rev. Jesse Jackson looks on during a press conference at the Rainbow PUSH organization, Wednesday morning, April 3, 2019.

Reverend Jesse Jackson, Breonna Taylor’s aunt Bianca Austin, Jacob Blake’s father Jacob Blake Sr., and U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush attend march during a rally for racial justice and equality where hundreds called for justice for Blake and Taylor in Evanston, Ill. Saturday afternoon, Oct. 3, 2020. Blake was shot by a Kenosha police officer seven times in August while Taylor was shot by Louisville police while they were executing a no-knock warrant in March.

Rev. Jesse Jackson chats with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin during the Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s 30th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Breakfast at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, Monday morning, Jan. 20, 2020.

Rev. Jesse Jackson looks on as Rev. Marvin Hunter, Laquan McDonald’s great-uncle, speaks to reporters at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse during the Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke murder trial, Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 19, 2018.

Dominique Jones broke down in tears and hugged Rev. Jesse Jackson while talking about how her cousin, 17-year-old Stevie Jefferson, was shot to death on Jan. 4. Jones, Jackson and hundreds of people joined Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, for a Walk For Peace and traced the Stations of the Cross through Englewood on Good Friday, April 14, 2017.

Rev. Jesse Jackson greets a kid competing in the “Fastest Kid’s in Chicago” final at the Gately Park Indoor Track and Field at 10201 S. Cottage Grove in Roseland, Saturday, July 10, 2021.

Jonathan Jackson, left, speaks with his father Rev. Jesse Jackson who’s crying, after Jonathan won the 1st Congressional District Democratic primary, during Jonathan’s campaign party at the auditorium of the DuSable Museum, Tuesday, June 28, 2022.

Rev. Jesse Jackson poses for a photo with his wife, Jacqueline Jackson, and other family members after their son, Jonathan Jackson, announced his intentions to run for the U.S. House of Representatives seat representing the 1st Congressional District — being vacated by Rep. Bobby Rush — during a news conference at the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 38 headquarters on the Far South Side, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022.

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. walks out of the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab near the Streeterville neighborhood Wednesday morning, Sept. 22, 2021.Mark Capapas/For the Sun-Times — Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. walks out of the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab near the Streeterville neighborhood Wednesday morning, Sept. 22, 2021.

Jonathan Jackson (right) alongside his dad, Jesse Jackson (left) fills out his ballot at the Dr. Martin Luther King Center Service Center at 4314 S. Cottage Grove, Monday, November Monday, 2022.

Chicago mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson, left, shakes hands with Rev. Jesse Jackson after receiving his endorsement and a prayer at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Friday, March 17, 2023.

Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes III chats with Rev. Jesse Jackson at the Rainbow PUSH Convention Faith Leaders Luncheon at the David Rubenstein Forum at the University of Chicago on the South Side, Tuesday, July 18, 2023. Haynes, senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, is taking on the role of president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

Rev. Jesse Jackson listens as Vice President Kamala Harris speaks about the legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson at the Apostolic Church of God at 6320 South Dorchester Avenue in Woodlawn during a service dedicated to Rev. Jesse Jackson as he steps down from RainbowPUSH, Sunday, July 16, 2023.

Sen. Bernie Sanders greets Rev. Jesse Jackson at the RainbowPUSH headquarters, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization, during an event celebrating the legacy of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. on the eve of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Sunday, August 18th, 2024.

Flanked by family members, Rev. Jesse Jackson listens as speakers wish him a happy 83rd birthday during a celebration at City Hall, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.

Inmates greet Rev. Jesse Jackson during Christmas Day services held by RainbowPUSH at Division 11 of the Cook County Jail, 3015 S. California Blvd., on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024.

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