Religious leaders, friends and political figures on Tuesday mourned the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died at 84.
The Rev. Bernice A. King, the youngest daughter of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., praised Mr. Jackson as “a gifted negotiator and a courageous bridge‑builder” in a social media post. “My family shares a long and meaningful history with him, rooted in a shared commitment to justice and love,” she said.
In another post, she shared a photo of Jackson alongside her father with the caption: “Both now ancestors.”
Mr. Jackson witnessed King’s assassination in 1968 on a balcony at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. At the National Civil Rights Museum at the site, flags were lowered on Tuesday. “He showed up, he spoke out, and he lifted others as he climbed,” the museum said in a statement.
In states including South Carolina, where Mr. Jackson was born, and Illinois, officials also ordered flags to be flown at half-staff.
Fellow religious leaders recalled Mr. Jackson’s values. The Rev. Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist and Baptist minister, said on Tuesday that he had prayed with Mr. Jackson’s family by phone. “He was a consequential and transformative leader who changed this nation and the world,” Mr. Sharpton said in a post on X, calling him a mentor.
The Rev. James Martin, an author and Jesuit priest, said on X that Mr. Jackson “stood for and with justice.”
Democratic politicians praised Mr. Jackson as a powerful voice against injustice and vowed to uphold his legacy. Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York commemorated him on X as a “giant of the civil rights movement who never stopped demanding that America live up to its promise.”
In a social media post, former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said: “Whether through impassioned words on the campaign trail, or moments of quiet courage, Reverend Jackson influenced generations of Americans, and countless elected leaders, including presidents.”
President Trump, also offered praise, calling Mr. Jackson “a good man” and a “force of nature” on Truth Social.
Representative Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat of New York and the house minority leader, called Mr. Jackson a “voice for the voiceless, powerful civil rights champion and trailblazer extraordinaire.”
Emily Cochrane and Katie Glueck contributed reporting.
Isabella Kwai is a Times reporter based in London, covering breaking news and other trends.
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