American civil rights activist, minister, and politician Rev. Jesse Jackson passed away at the age of 84 on February 17, 2026. Jackson was one of the most prominent American civil rights activists of his lifetime. His campaigning for political, social, and economic justice leaves behind a lasting impact and legacy.
Here, we take a look back through the Magnum archive at photographs of Jackson at different stages of his political career.
In 1968, Constantine Manos photographed Jackson at the Poor People’s March on Washington. Led by activist and minister Ralph Abernathy, the March took place two months after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King.
One photograph from Manos depicts the Reverend leading a group of marchers to the Lincoln Monument in Washington, D.C. Another shows him exercising his renowned speaking skills in front of a crowd. At the time, Jackson was head of the Chicago chapter of the civil rights organization Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), founded by Martin Luther King in 1957.
In 1983, Jackson entered the 1984 Democratic Presidential race. He ran for president twice in 1984 and 1988 as a Democrat, solidifying him as a major force in the party and reshaping the American electoral landscape.
Eli Reed followed Jackson through the 1980s, including his presidential campaign. His photographs formed part of his wider oeuvre documenting Black experiences in America during this time. In 1986, he made an intimate portrait of Jackson at his home.
In 1988, in Delano, California, Matt Black saw Jackson show his support for labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, who ended his 36-day fast in protest of agricultural pesticides.
In the 1990s, he served as shadow delegate and shadow senator for the District of Columbia, and became host of Both Sides with Jesse Jackson on CNN from 1992 to 2000.
Ian Berry, Susan Meiselas, Bruce Gilden and more documented Jackson in the later stages of his career, at Democratic conventions and rallies around the world.
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