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The Rev. Jesse Jackson on Barack Obama as a presidential candidate
Posted
February 28, 2026
Views
22,141
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552
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February 28, 2026
22,141
552
41
2.68%
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59:00Now PlayingThe Rev. Jesse Jackson (1941-2026) was a civil rights icon who launched two U.S. presidential campaigns, in 1984 and 1988, ending the second run as the runner-up for the Democratic nomination — two decades before Barack Obama became the first Black major party presidential nominee, and subsequently, the first Black U.S. president.
Jackson spoke to FRONTLINE’s Jim Gilmore on Aug. 13, 2008, for our documentary, "The Choice 2008," which you can watch here
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Jackson had worked alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and was appointed to lead Operation Breadbasket, a program aimed at addressing economic concerns of Black Americans. In the years after King’s assassination, Jackson formed the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a civil rights organization pushing for equity in the economic and political spheres for Black Americans. He died in February 2026 at the age of 84.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity. See a more complete description of our process here
This interview is being published as part of FRONTLINE’s Transparency Project, an effort to open up the source material behind our documentaries. Read more about this project here
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