February 17, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) released the following statement after hearing the news of Reverend Jesse Jackson’s passing.
“This morning, our world lost a giant in Reverend Jesse Jackson. So many of us have the indelible black-and-white still images of Rev. Jackson fighting for justice in the Civil Rights Movement committed to memory. But keeping him there doesn’t do him justice. Rev. Jackson moved in living color, leaving his mark over decades of world history.
“He marched with Dr. King in tireless pursuit of voting rights and civil rights for Black Americans. He ran for president and forever changed the face of electoral politics, giving a voice to the overlooked and unheard. He flew around the globe as a humanitarian, chasing injustice across oceans and borders.
“He fought for the poverty stricken in rural America, and the poor living in our cities. He worked on behalf of farmers and labor unions. He protested for student rights and advocated for humane treatment of immigrants. Whether you were imprisoned by injustice or indignity, he was there to remind you, ‘I am somebody.’ And time and time again, Rev. Jackson stood at the front, putting his own life at risk in an effort to liberate millions more. He lived his faith, driven by a moral conviction that civil rights, human rights, and economic justice together created a big tent that had room for everyone.
“Rev. Jackson prepared generations to carry the torch forward. And at a time when our nation’s conscience doesn’t always speak as loudly as it should, and many of the fights that Rev. Jackson fought are still ongoing, his example shows us that the way to keep hope alive for enduring justice is through the work we’re willing to do for it.
“My prayers are with my House colleague Rep. Jonathan Jackson and the entire Jackson family.”
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