‘A lot of people know Dr. King, but not everyone knows Jesse Jackson’

Following the death of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, students at Claflin University and nearby South Carolina State are reflecting on his legacy and questioning how well younger generations understand his contributions.

 “A lot of people know Dr. King, but not everyone knows Jesse Jackson,” said Alexis Moorer, a sophomore political science major at Claflin. “When you actually learn about what he did, you realize how important he was to the movement.”

While Jackson’s influence was widely recognized during his career, some college students say his name is not discussed as often today compared to other civil rights leaders.

“I had heard his name before, but I didn’t know all the details about what he did until I started studying politics,” Moorer said. “In school we mostly hear about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but there were many other leaders like Jesse Jackson who kept pushing the movement forward.”

Destiny Bacote, another political science major at Claflin, said learning about Jackson has helped her understand how the civil rights movement continued after the 1960s.

“Honestly before I came to Claflin, I didn't even know what Jesse Jackson was,” Bacote said.

Students at S.C. State shared similar thoughts about Jackson’s legacy and whether younger generations are familiar with his work.

“Some people our age recognize the name, but they may not know the full story,” an SC State student said. “Once you start learning about what he did, you see how much he contributed to civil rights and political change.”

At historically Black colleges and universities like Claflin and S.C. State, conversations about civil rights history often carry special significance. For many students, Jackson’s life serves as a reminder that the civil rights movement was shaped by many individuals working toward the same goal.

“People sometimes focus on just one or two leaders,” Bacote said. “But learning about Jesse Jackson reminds us that the movement had many voices, and all of them helped make a difference.”

Jackson was a close associate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After King’s assassination in 1968, Jackson continued advocating for social and economic justice.

Over the decades, he became known for his work promoting voting rights, economic opportunity and political representation for marginalized communities.

Jackson also made history in American politics. In 1984 and again in 1988, he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, becoming one of the first Black candidates to mount a serious national campaign.

His campaigns encouraged greater political participation among minority communities and helped pave the way for future Black leaders in politics.