Jesse Jackson tirelessly advocated for the end of South Africa’s apartheid regime, appealing to global leaders like Pope John Paul II and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev. He urged Harvard University to divest from the country and was a prominent figure at Nelson Mandela’s release from Robben Island in 1990, after 27 years of political imprisonment.
Known in the United States as a symbol of the Civil Rights Movement, Jackson was equally revered across Africa for his relentless activism against the oppressive South African government, which enforced racial segregation.
His first visit to South Africa in 1979 came just two years after the tragic death of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko. During his visit, Jackson captivated enormous crowds at rallies in Soweto, a township where Black people were forcibly confined to live under severe poverty by the white-minority government.
Over subsequent decades, Jackson embarked on multiple diplomatic missions across various African nations, serving as a peace broker and a vital representative of Black America. He demonstrated that the U.S. government’s stance on apartheid did not reflect the widespread disapproval felt by many of its citizens.
“We are deeply indebted to the energy, principled clarity and personal risk with which he supported our struggle and campaigned for freedom and equality in other parts of the world,” stated President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa on Tuesday, acknowledging Jackson’s passing.
Jackson’s unwavering commitment to the anti-apartheid movement was fueled by the striking similarities he observed between racial injustice in South Africa and the fight for civil rights in America.
In a 2013 opinion column for The Guardian, he reflected, “As a young civil rights activist, I knew how raw and ugly and violent the apartheid regime was. They were being jailed, we were being jailed. We were being killed, and they were being massacred.”
A significant highlight of his work was a whirlwind eight-country tour of Africa in 1986. During this tour, he was met with immense crowds, red carpet welcomes, state dinners, and extensive meetings with heads of state.
In Zambia, his powerful speech moved then-President Kenneth Kaunda to tears. Jackson used his platform to highlight the devastating regional effects of apartheid, pledging to pressure President Ronald Reagan’s administration to support the neighboring countries surrounding South Africa.
In the late 1990s, Jackson returned to Africa as an envoy for President Bill Clinton. In this capacity, he played a crucial role in mediating conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Nigeria.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, upon learning of Jackson’s death, issued a statement recognizing his contributions: “Reverend Jackson was a great friend of Nigeria and Africa.”