Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader who ran for president, dies at age 84

Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, who marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and ran for president in the 1980s, has died at age 84 in Chicago, where he led the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition for decades, marking the end of an era in American activism. Rev. Jackson was one of the most prominent voices in the American civil rights movement, following in the footsteps of Dr. King as a Baptist minister and activist. He gained national prominence as a key lieutenant to Dr. King during the 1960s, participating in major campaigns including the Selma to Montgomery marches. Jackson later broke new ground by becoming the first serious African American candidate to seek the Democratic presidential nomination, running in 1984 and 1988, which paved the way for future minority presidential candidates. Beyond electoral politics, Jackson founded the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago, an organization that continued his work advocating for economic justice, civil rights, and social equality. His 'Rainbow Coalition' concept brought together diverse groups including African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and progressive whites to form a powerful political bloc.