Jesse Jackson

Biography

Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. was a prominent American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. As a protégé of Martin Luther King Jr., he became a leading voice in the movement and an advocate for LGBTQ rights. He served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997 and founded the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, which later merged with another organization. Jackson was also a presidential candidate in 1984 and 1988.