WASHINGTON D.C. — The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law today mourns the passing of the Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr., a minister, former presidential candidate, and celebrated civil rights hero, who, for more than six decades, helped advance the rights of Black people and people of color.
In response, Damon Hewitt, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued the following statement:
“It is with profound sadness, yet with hearts full of gratitude for a life so magnificently lived, that we mourn the passing of the Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson. A giant has left us, but the evidence of his life’s work has carved a permanent, unyielding path toward justice through the bedrock of American history.
“The right to vote, march, and eat at lunch counters was hollow without the ability to sit at the tables where decisions are made. Rev. Jesse Jackson dedicated his life to building that power. He took the moral clarity and tenacity of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and translated it into a political and economic movement and lexicon that those long in power could not ignore. He did not just ask for a seat at the table – he helped us reimagine what the very table could look like altogether.
“‘Hope as discipline’ was his motivating credo, and it is this driving principle that allowed Rev. Jackson to become a builder of bridges through such efforts as the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. That organization brought this concept to life by uniting people of color and working-class people who share the struggles of an unjust and discriminatory American society. It demonstrated that broad, multiracial coalitions are a source of power, not compromise, and we continue to build on the example it set today.
“Rev. Jackson saw our common goal as one where we are all united by the pursuit of justice and strengthening a democracy that has yet to live up to its promises. He reminded us that the words etched into the Constitution are not self-executing. They demand our vigilance and active participation in the courtroom, the streets, and at the ballot box. In particular, Rev. Jesse Jackson marched for our voting rights as a frontline issue because he understood that democracy cannot merely be a legacy we inherit, but rather a cornerstone of our society we must regularly safeguard, strengthen, and expand. His motto, “I Am Somebody,” continues to serve as both a declaration of self-respect and self-determination for Black American political sovereignty.
“Rev. Jackson’s hope was a muscle of democratic might exercised through action, and he leaves behind those lessons for those of us today relentlessly fighting to continue the work of the Civil Rights Movement in this century. We will continue his fight for economic justice and the voting rights he fought for.
“Reverend Jesse Jackson is now at rest, but his legacy lives proudly through every courtroom victory, every protest, every advocacy coalition celebrating the diversity of our country, every young person who dares to challenge what elected representation can look like, and everyone who knows hope is a call to action.”
###
