GEOFF BENNETT: The Reverend Jesse Jackson,## the civil rights leader and two-time# presidential candidate, died peacefully## this morning at the age of 84.

He's being# remembered for his decades of activism.

His family wrote, in part: "Our father was# a servant leader, not only to our family,## but to the oppressed, the voiceless,# and the overlooked around the world."

From the civil rights movement of the 1960s,## to protesting police brutality# some six decades later... REV.

JESSE JACKSON, FOUNDER, Rainbow/PUSH# Coalition: We're all precious in God's sight.

GEOFF BENNETT: ... Jesse Jackson was one of the# nation's most prominent civil rights act.. a political pioneer.

His historymaking bids for# the White House in the 1980s sparked a movement.

REV.

JESSE JACKSON: I see the face# of America, red, yellow, brown,## Black, and white.

We're all precious in# God's sight, the real rainbow coalition.

GEOFF BENNETT: Jesse Jackson was born# and raised in Greenville, South Carolina,## where he attended racially segregated# schools.

His first major protest was in 1960,## where he was one of eight students to organize# a sit-in at the local whites-only library.

While attending North Carolina A&T, a historically# Black institution, he continued to participate## in protests against segregated businesses.

After# graduating, he moved to Chicago to attend Chicago## Theological Seminary.

He eventually dropped# out to focus on the civil rights movement.

During this time, he met and worked# with the Reverend Dr.

Martin Luther## King Jr.

Jackson was one of hundreds# who marched from Selma to Montgomery,## and soon after began organizing in Chicago for# the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.## Jackson grew close to Dr.

King and soon# became a member of his inner circle.

On the night of Dr.

King's assassination,# Jackson was in Memphis with him and## witnessed the shooting.

The moment# would shape the rest of his career.

REV.

JESSE JACKSON: He dreamed not just of# the privatized notion of content of character,## rather than color of skin.

He# dreamed of the public policy## notion of once we change the law.

He# used his faith to challenge the law.

GEOFF BENNETT: After Dr.

King's death,# Jackson was involved in multiple debates## and disputes over how to approach the# future of the civil rights movement.

REV.

JESSE JACKSON: We're going# to be shot in the back anyhow!

GEOFF BENNETT: He eventually left the SCLC to# launch his own organization, Operation PUSH,## dedicated to improving economic conditions# in Black communities across the country.

REV.

JESSE JACKSON: We are displeased.

We# do not like it.

Cut us in or cut it out.

GEOFF BENNETT: The group received national# attention for pressuring major corporations## to hire more African Americans,# sometimes by threatening boycotts.

REV.

JESSE JACKSON: I'm# simply challenging the party.

GEOFF BENNETT: Jackson decided to step away from# the group in the early 1980s to influence policy## in a different way, running to lead the country.# In 1983, he announced his first campaign for the## White House.

His campaign, he said, was# not solely about winning the nomination,## but about fighting for the rights of a diverse# so-called rainbow coalition of Americans.

REV.

JESSE JACKSON: America is# more like a quilt, many patches,## many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all# woven and held together by a common thread.

GEOFF BENNETT: While detractors# wrote him off as a fringe candidate,## he finished in third place in the Democratic# primaries.

He announced a second bid for the## White House in 1988 and found more# success.

Jackson won primaries and## caucuses in 11 states and refused to# exit the race until the convention.

He ultimately finished second in# the race.

It was the first time## a Black candidate was widely viewed as# a viable contender for the presidency.

Former "PBS News Hour" co-anchor the late Gwen# Ifill covered him for The Washington Post.

GWEN IFILL, Former "PBS News Hour" Anchor:# The most disorganized, exhilarating,## inventive campaign ever, because he would# just show up places and could attract crowds.

GEOFF BENNETT: Jackson remained a# prominent presence in American politics,## serving as one of Washington, D.C.

's first# shadow senators, a position that primarily## advocated for D.C.

statehood.

He also# frequently met with foreign leaders.

He negotiated the release of dozens# of hostages during wars and conflicts,## often without approval from presidents# or Congress.

In 2007, when fellow Chicago## Democrat Barack Obama announced a bid# for the White House, Jackson endorsed## him.

Their relationship grew complicated# at times over the course of the campaign.

But at Obama's victory rally, Jackson was in tears# over the historic election of the country's first## Black president.

Jesse Jackson's family followed# in his political footsteps.

One of his sons,## Jesse Jackson Jr., represented Illinois in# Congress for more than 15 years, before stepping## down in 2012 after being accused and eventually# convicted of defrauding campaign donors.

Another son, Jonathan Jackson, now# represents Illinois in Congress.

Jackson## had several health concerns in recent# years.

He was hospitalized in November## to treat the neurodegenerative condition# called progressive supranuclear palsy,## or PSP, initially diagnosed as# Parkinson's disease in 2017.

But despite the health setbacks, Jesse# Jackson continued his advocacy work,## including participating in Black Lives# Matter protests and getting arrested## during demonstrations and sit-ins# in support of social justice issues.