CHICAGO — Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. was greeted with roaring applause and a standing ovation at Monday night’s Democratic National Convention.
Jackson, 82, came out on the stage via a wheelchair flanked by Rev. Al Sharpton and two of his sons, Yusef and U.S. Rep. Johnathan Jackson. He did not address the convention but smiled and gestured with two thumbs up as attendees cheered.
“Tonight, I had the honor of walking my big brother and mentor, Rev. Jesse Jackson, onto the stage for the opening night of the DNC in Chicago, alongside two of his sons, Jonathan and Yusef Jackson,” Sharpton said in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “Rev. Jackson’s Presidential campaigns helped pave the way for future elections, and the United Center was deeply moved by the well-deserved tribute to his life, impact, and legacy.”
Jackson was a Democratic presidential candidate in 1984 and 1988.
He founded Operation PUSH, an acronym for People United to Save Humanity, in 1971. He founded the National Rainbow Coalition in 1984 and the two organizations merged in 1996.
Jackson revealed in 2017 that he was living with Parkinson’s disease. He resigned as CEO of the Rainbow Push Coalition in 2023.
Democrats are hosting their nominating convention in Chicago August 19-22. Chicago has hosted Democrats 12 times, the last being nearly 30 years ago when President Bill Clinton was nominated for a second term.