In July 1960, eight Black students walked into the whites-only Greenville County Public Library and quietly took seats in the reading room. Among them was a then-18-year-old Jesse Jackson, a Sterling High School graduate home from college, determined to challenge segregation after he couldn’t find the book he needed at the colored branch library.
It was a moment that would propel the Greenvillian to become one of the most integral figures in the Civil Rights Movement.
Jackson died on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at age 84, following a life that included working alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., participating in the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery march, and running for president (twice).
“His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity,” a statement from his nonprofit, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, said. “A tireless change agent, he elevated the voices of the voiceless.”
