Civil rights icon jesse jackson dies at 84, remembered for pioneering environmental justice advocacy

Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who died Tuesday at age 84 in his Chicago home, left behind a transformative legacy that extended far beyond traditional activism to include groundbreaking work in environmental justice. The South Carolina native, who marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and ran two historic presidential campaigns, was among the first national political figures to connect racial segregation with environmental inequality.

Jackson’s 1988 presidential campaign proved pivotal in bringing environmental justice issues to mainstream American politics. His platform included phasing out nuclear energy, reducing vehicle emissions, restoring wetlands and forests, and creating a New Deal-style conservation workforce—ideas that would influence environmental policy for decades. The campaign also launched the career of Peggy Shepard, now executive director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice, who credits that experience with shaping her life’s work addressing pollution disparities in communities of color.

Throughout his later years, Jackson drew explicit connections between segregation in his hometown of Greenville, South Carolina, and environmental crises like the toxic water disaster in Flint, Michigan. He became a regular presence in Flint, calling the city “a crime scene” and helping elevate the crisis to national attention while criticizing insufficient federal response. Jackson’s approach was notably pragmatic—he supported bringing natural gas infrastructure to the historically Black Pembroke Township in Illinois, arguing that reliable energy access would spur economic development and create jobs.

Jackson’s environmental justice advocacy inspired a generation of activists who continue fighting for communities disproportionately burdened by pollution and climate change, cementing his influence on both civil rights and environmental movements.