Rev. Jackson Was a Witness to History
Long before his presidential campaigns, Jackson stood beside Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He was present in Memphis on April 4, 1968, when King was assassinated.
Jesse Jackson holds a copy of the Daily Defender newspaper, which features the headline "King Murdered!," on April 5, 1968 | Source: Getty Images
In a 2018 interview with The Guardian, Jackson recalled the moment, saying, "Every time I think about it, it's like pulling a scab off a sore. It's a hurtful, painful thought: that a man of love is killed by hate; that a man of peace should be killed by violence; a man who cared is killed by the careless."
Jackson and Andrew Young were among the last surviving aides who witnessed the assassination.
Jesse Jackson carries the United Nations flag in the funeral procession of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 9, 1968 | Source: Getty Images
From Pulpit to Presidential Politics
Jackson first made national headlines in 1984 when he entered the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. At the time, he was 42 years old and running with limited funds, a small staff, and no early consensus support from Black voters.
