Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights champion and presidential candidate, dies at 84
The Rev. Jesse Jackson made several trips to Connecticut in his lifetime.
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The Rev. Jesse Jackson has died at age 84.
Jackson, known as one of the pioneers of the civil rights movement, continued that work until his death.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson made several trips to Connecticut in his lifetime. In 1991, he marched with 2,000 others through Bridgeport for Rebuild America, supporting union workers and community groups.
Back in 2003, Jackson picketed against health care cuts at Stamford Hospital. Earlier that year, he was arrested at Yale while protesting in support of union workers.
Last April, Jackson was diagnosed with a rare brain condition related to Parkinson’s. He died Tuesday.
“It is totally devastating not just to our country but to the world,” State Sen. Herron Gaston said.
Gaston got to know Jackson personally.
“Jesse Jackson was a moral tiger. He was a gentle giant who fought tirelessly for the civil rights movement,” Gaston said.
Jackson rose to prominence in the civil rights era and stood alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in several demonstrations. His activism spanned decades, including two runs for the Democratic presidential nomination, in 1984 and 1988.
The Rev. Charlie Stallworth in Bridgeport also got to meet Jackson.
“He was not just considered an African American leader, but he represented middle-class America. He represented the poor people,” Stallworth said.
Jackson was at the motel in Memphis, Tennessee, with King when he was assassinated in 1968. That fueled Jackson’s relentless pursuit of civil rights and equality even more.
“We as the community have a responsibility to not let his legacy die,” said Greater Bridgeport NAACP President Bobbi Brown.
Jackson’s family said he died peacefully Tuesday morning. Jackson condemned Donald Trump’s presidency, saying, “Fifty years of civil rights have been threatened.”
