With the passing of Rev Jesse Jackson, it is important to reflect on a life whose relevance endures for a younger generation navigating inequality, polarisation and global uncertainty.
His legacy, built on coalition politics, moral courage and inclusive vision, remains a guiding light in turbulent times.
This author’s journey with Rev Jackson began in 1989, shortly after his historic run in the 1988 Democratic primaries, which expanded the political imagination of millions and demonstrated the transformative power of coalition-building.
At the time, a close friend, Lorri, proudly from Chicago and deeply connected to the Jackson family, insisted that the very first MBA class project focus on Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition.
While others chose conventional corporate case studies centred on balance sheets and profit margins, this author and colleagues turned their attention to power, inclusion, access and equality, interrogating who truly has opportunity and who remains excluded.
That defining decision opened the door to an extraordinary encounter.
The group interviewed Rev Jackson himself, listening as he explained how grassroots organising, economic pressure and political participation could reshape systems.
Long before diversity and inclusion became corporate language, he was urging institutions to broaden participation and share opportunity. His ideas were not abstract theories but practical strategies grounded in lived realities.
Those early lessons were reinforced through repeated encounters in later years. During this author’s time at Turner Broadcasting, Rev Jackson was a regular speaker at the CNN World Report Conferences and also served as an analyst.
These engagements revealed his unwavering consistency – whether addressing activists, corporate leaders, policymakers or media professionals, his message remained firmly anchored in empowerment, accountability and inclusion.
In 2007, during the Ghana @50 celebrations, this author had the privilege of hosting Rev Jackson in Ghana.
Decades after their first meeting, he carried the same moral urgency and clarity of vision that had once inspired a classroom full of young students. His presence at the historic milestone underscored his enduring commitment to Africa and the African diaspora.
Years later, while this author was serving as Ghana’s Ambassador to China, he connected with him one final time.
Following a visit, a thoughtful friend, Clay Croom, arranged a conference call. On that call, the discussion centred on how Africans, African Americans and China could collaborate in Africa for shared prosperity.
Though he was unwell at the time, his voice still carried unmistakable strength, depth and hope. Even then, his thinking remained global, privileging cooperation over competition and dignity over dependency.
For today’s generation, Rev Jackson’s legacy offers enduring lessons: build coalitions across differences, harness economic power for social change, and refuse to limit vision to the constraints of the moment.
While the challenges evolve – from technological disruption to shifting geopolitics – the fundamental question remains constant: who gets to participate in shaping the future?
Rev Jesse Jackson believed the answer must always be everyone.
The Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr., founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, is one of America’s foremost civil rights, religious and political figures. Over the past 60 years, he played a pivotal role in virtually every movement for empowerment, peace, civil rights, gender equality, and economic and social justice.
On August 9, 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded Reverend Jackson, an ordained Baptist Minister, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honour.
According to his bio, published by Rainbow Push Coalition, Rev Jackson had been called the “Conscience of the Nation” and “the Great Unifier”, challenging America to be inclusive and to establish just and humane priorities for the benefit of all. He is known for bringing people together on common ground across lines of race, culture, class, gender and belief.
He was Born on October 8, 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina. He passed on at 84, on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, after a few months of hospitalisation.
Tribute by Edward Boateng
Source: GNA
