Interesting Facts about the Late Jesse Jackson's Six Children

The legendary activist once admitted there was one thing he might have done differently. It had nothing to do with marches, campaigns, or history-making speeches.

Rev. Jesse Jackson, one of the most recognizable civil rights leaders in modern American history, spent decades in the public eye fighting for justice. But in a 2012 interview with The Guardian, he revealed a far more personal regret.

"If you could edit your past, what would you change?" he was asked. His answer was strikingly honest: "While I've spent a lot of quality time with my children, perhaps it's not been enough."

That reflection now carries even more weight when you look at the six lives shaped under his care. Each one took a distinct path, with some soaring and others stumbling along the way. But all of them are impossible to ignore.

Santita Jackson, 62

Before politics and punditry, there was music.

According to her bio, Santita Jackson toured with Roberta Flack and even performed the National Anthem at President Bill Clinton's second inauguration. She also became a familiar face on the Fox News Channel and later hosted her own show on The Word Network.

But her story weaves into American history in ways that feel almost cinematic.

According to The New York Times, Santita attended high school with Michelle Obama and later served as her maid of honor at her 1992 wedding to Barack Obama. She also became godmother to young Malia Obama, cementing a bond between two families who would shape national politics.

Still, her most formative classroom was at home.

In a deeply personal interview with Scripps News, Santita described growing up around tense and even dangerous moments during her father's civil rights work. One phone call from her childhood still echoes:

"You pick up the phone and... 'Hi, little girl.' 'Hi...' 'Is your father home?' 'No.' 'Was he wearing a trench coat this morning?' 'Yes, sir.' ' Well, you know, you should call him at the office because if he comes home I'll blow his [expletive] head off.'"

Instead of retreating, she leaned in.

"The greatest teacher I've ever had has been my father," she said, explaining how watching him navigate hostile political spaces taught her the power of conversation. That philosophy became her own platform, blending media, music, and activism into one.

And yet, her journey was only the beginning of the family's complicated public narrative.

Jesse Jackson Jr., 60

He was once seen as the political heir apparent. After serving 17 years in Congress, Jesse Jackson Jr. seemed poised for even bigger things.

But in 2012, headlines shifted dramatically when he announced through the Mayo Clinic that he was being treated for bipolar 2 disorder, a diagnosis that Time reported had stirred controversy within the mental health community.

Bipolar 2 involves cycles of depression and hypomania rather than full-blown mania. As the outlet explained, patients may experience elevated mood, racing thoughts, irritability, and bursts of productivity, but not the loss of contact with reality associated with bipolar 1.

Then came a fall that stunned Chicago.

In 2013, he was convicted of misusing campaign funds and sentenced to 30 months in federal prison. The rising star had crashed, and any chance of a comeback seemed unlikely.

But the story did not end there.

In January 2025, Axios reported that Jesse Jr. was stepping back into the spotlight as a radio host on Chicago's historic WVON-AM. The station's general manager noted that providing a platform for a talent like Jesse Jr. enabled WVON to maintain its disruptive influence across Chicago and other regions.

He had also sought a presidential pardon from Joe Biden, telling WTTW, "It would change the course of my life." The pardon never came.

Instead, he found a microphone. And in Chicago, that might be just as powerful. But 2026 might be the year for his return to congress.

Jonathan Jackson, 60

Not every path in the family led through scandal or song.

Jonathan L. Jackson carved his career through business, education, and advocacy. In a 2022 interview with N'DIGO, he characterized himself as an individual fundamentally driven by justice.

He explained that his entire being revolved around a deep commitment to dismantling discriminatory obstacles and other hurdles that stopped diligent people from reaching the American dream.

He built credentials to match that conviction.

A graduate of Whitney Young High School, he went on to study business at North Carolina A&T University and later earned a master's degree from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Business.

His résumé spans investment analysis, real estate, brewing, teaching, and serving as a national spokesperson for the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

Yet his personal life may be the most striking detail.

"Wonderful. I have been married for 26 years. I have three adult children," he said back then when asked about family life. He maintained his residence in Jackson Park Highlands, where he lived directly across from his parents and just around the corner from his brothers and sisters.

But even there, he sees challenges, pointing to gun violence and the city's population decline. The fight to stop people from leaving Chicago is something close to his heart.

Yusef Dubois Jackson, 55

If one sibling flirted with pop culture from the outside, Yusef Dubois Jackson jumped straight into it.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Yusef has worked as a private investor, attorney, corporate advisor, and community advocate, with more than 25 years spanning beverage distribution, media, and technology. He once led River North Sales & Service, growing sales dramatically before guiding it through a major acquisition.

Then he made an unexpected move.

In 2006, he acquired Radar Magazine and transitioned it into Radaronline.com. According to Chicago Magazine, the media-shy son of a famous reverend stepped into the publishing world with caution.

"Given my family's background-and we are a very public family and very public people-there has been a general interest in my story," he said.

He also acknowledged that a few media narratives frequently overshadowed the products he promoted. Additionally, he noted that some of these accounts contained inaccuracies or provided a false impression of the facts.

Rather than chase headlines, he focused on long-term impact.

In recent years, he has worked with the Jackson Legacy Foundation and Rainbow PUSH Coalition, helping lead initiatives from COVID-19 testing sites to food relief efforts serving over 500,000 meals. He also played a role in documenting and archiving his father's work for future generations.

Quietly, deliberately, he built influence in rooms far from the spotlight.

Jacqueline Lavinia "Jackie" Jackson, 50

Named after her mother, Jacqueline Lavinia "Jackie" Jackson pursued a path rooted in academia and research.

In a heartfelt birthday message shared on Facebook in 2022, Reverend Jackson praised his daughter's global impact. He wrote that she has advanced degrees in biology and cultural anthropology and earned a doctorate in International Educational Policy.

He described her as "brilliant and witty" and called her a "powerhouse in her own right."

"We share lots of deep conversation and giggles," he added. "She is truly a world changer." For a man known for commanding crowds, the pride in those words felt intimate.

But the final chapter of this family story began under very different circumstances.

Ashley Jackson, 26

In 2001, a statement changed everything.

In a statement in The New York Times, Reverend Jackson acknowledged that he had fathered a daughter outside of his marriage. "I fully accept responsibility and I am truly sorry for my actions," he said at the time.

He added, "As her mother does, I love this child very much." He emphasized his commitment to providing emotional and financial support and protecting the child's privacy.

That child was Ashley Jackson.

For years, she grew up largely outside the glare of the spotlight that defined her father's life. Then, in October 2025, she made a bold announcement on Instagram.

"I'm beaming with excitement to announce my debut project as a producer under my new banner, Rainbow Child Productions," she wrote in her post. The three-part docuseries, directed by Prentice Penny and showrun by Joie Jacoby, will explore her father's cultural imprint through her own lens.

"We're here to tell stories that honor legacy, bridge divides, and ignite moral imagination," she shared.

In the end, the man who once wondered if he had spent enough time with his children left behind something undeniable: six people and one legacy still unfolding despite the reverend's passing.

As previously reported, the longtime activist, Baptist minister, and two-time presidential candidate died February 17, 2026, at 84, according to NBC News. A cause of death was not immediately given.

A Family's Farewell

He died peacefully on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family, the Jackson family said in an official statement.

"His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity," the family said in a statement announcing his passing.

The family confirmed that he is survived by his wife, Jacqueline; their children, and grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his mother, Helen Burns Jackson; father, Noah Louis Robinson; and stepfather, Charles Henry Jackson.

"Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world," the family added. "We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by."

Public observances will be held in Chicago. Final arrangements will be released by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

Rev. Jackson Was a Witness to History

Long before his presidential campaigns, he stood beside Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He was present in Memphis on April 4, 1968, when King was assassinated.

In a 2018 interview with The Guardian, Rev. 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."

Rev. Jackson and Andrew Young were among the last surviving aides who witnessed the assassination.

From Pulpit to Presidential Politics

Rev. 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.

As The New York Times reported in 1984, he was not simply a Black candidate — he was widely viewed as a "serious" Black presidential candidate. That shift carried long-term political consequences, energizing voters and reshaping how many Americans viewed Black leadership in national office.

He ran again in 1988, further cementing his place in political history. His campaigns brought issues of racial justice, voting access, and economic inequality into the national spotlight.

Health Battles in Recent Years

In November 2025, Rev. Jackson was hospitalized and placed under observation for a neurodegenerative condition, according to NBC News.

His organization, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, said he had been managing progressive supranuclear palsy, or PSP, for more than a decade. He had originally been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, but in April 2025, doctors confirmed the condition was PSP.

At the time, the organization said, "He was originally diagnosed with Parkinson's disease; however, last April, his PSP condition was confirmed. The family appreciates all prayers at this time."

Tributes From Civil Rights Leaders

Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton responded quickly to the news.

In a statement, Sharpton said, "our nation lost one of its greatest moral voices," and described Rev. Jackson as a man who "carried history in his footsteps and hope in his voice."

He added, "Reverend Jackson stood wherever dignity was under attack, from apartheid abroad to injustice at home. His voice echoed in boardrooms and in jail cells. His presence shifted rooms. His faith never wavered."

A Lasting Legacy

Over decades, Rev. Jackson built a reputation as a figure who moved between protest lines and political offices. Through the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, he advocated for civil rights, economic fairness, and expanded political participation.

His 1984 and 1988 campaigns remain milestones in American political history. They helped expand voter engagement and changed expectations about who could compete on the national stage.

Now, the focus turns to the legacy he leaves behind, not only in policy debates and campaign history, but within the family who surrounded him in his final hours.