17.2.2026
Former US President Barrack Obama and other world leaders have paid glowing tribute to American civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson who died at 84 Tuesday.
Obama said Reverend Jackson practically allowed him to stand on his shoulders to become the first blackman to be sworn in as US President.
“For more than 60 years, Reverend Jackson helped lead some of the most significant movements for change in human history,”Obama said in a statement.
“From organizing boycotts and sit-ins, to registering millions of voters, to advocating for freedom and democracy around the world, he was relentless in his belief that we are all children of God, deserving of dignity and respect.
“Reverend Jackson also created opportunities for generations of African Americans and inspired countless more, including us. Michelle got her first glimpse of political organizing at the Jacksons’ kitchen table when she was a teenager. And in his two historic runs for president, he laid the foundation for my own campaign to the highest office of the land.”
US President Donald Trump described Jackson as a “force of nature”, while former vice-president Kamala Harris said he was “one of America’s greatest patriots”.
His cause of death has not yet been confirmed, but he was hospitalised in November after being diagnosed with a degenerative condition.