Michael D Higgins: "The death of Jesse Jackson is a great loss to the human rights movement"

The former president also highlighted that Jackson's death comes amid ongoing protests against ICE across the US, in particular in Minneapolis, following the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents.

"His death is taking place when, once again, the bravest of people have been called to defend what are basic rights.

"What is happening in US cities, such as Minneapolis, recalls some of the darkest times to which the civil rights movement was called on to respond all those years ago," said Higgins.

Higgins said Jackson will be remembered "for the vigour with which he gave to and sought from others in marches, demonstrations, and clashes with oppressive authority."

"His work is part of a legacy that remains relevant and even urgent."

Jackson was born Jesse Louis Burns on 8 October 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, and later adopted the last name of his stepfather, Charles Jackson.

After taking part in his first sit-in in Greenville in 1960, he joined the civil rights marches from Selma to Montgomery in 1965, where he became friends with Martin Luther King Jr.

Jackson became a prominent advocate for ending apartheid in South Africa and, in the 1990s, served as presidential special envoy for Africa for Bill Clinton.

Jackson founded the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in 1996, a Chicago-based non-profit organisation focused on social justice and political activism.

 

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