Biography
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. (October 8, 1941 — February 17, 2026) was an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He founded of both entities that merged to form Rainbow/PUSH. Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. is his eldest son. In an AP-AOL "Black Voices" poll in February 2006, Jackson was voted 'the most important black leader'.
Awards & recognition
- Commander of the Legion of Honour · 2021
- James Joyce Awards · 2004
- Presidential Medal of Freedom · 2000
- Honorary doctorate from the University of Cairo · 1989
- Spingarn Medal · 1989
Show all 6 awards →
- Eugene V. Debs Award · 1978
Filmography39 titles
Mahalia Jackson: The Power and the Glory
Hollywood Black
I Am MLK Jr.
King: Man of Peace in a Time of War
'85: The Greatest Team in Football History
In Remembrance of Martin
Nationtime
Uncle Tom
LA 92
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Explained
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
MLK: The Assassination Tapes
Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
Fantastic Lies
4 Little Girls
Bernie Blackout
Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic
A Different World
Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy
A Man's Story
Saturday Night Live
Wattstax
Uptight
We Are Many
Amandla!
The Daily Show
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
Loudmouth
Real Time with Bill Maher
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union
Chicago at the Crossroad
South to Black Power
Shut Up and Dribble
Killing Martin Luther King Jr.
Stax, le label soul légendaire
Rise Up: The Movement that Changed America