WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESS Newswire / February 17, 2026 / The National Bar Association mourns the passing of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., a civil rights giant who helped bend the arc of American history toward justice.
Rev. Jackson marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma. He stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis when Dr. King was assassinated, having heard the “Mountaintop” speech the night before. From that unimaginable moment of grief in 1968 to witnessing the election of President Barack Obama in 2008, Rev. Jackson lived an extraordinary American arc; one that carried the dream forward through decades of resistance and relentless hope.
“Rev. Jackson did not simply speak about justice; he organized it, negotiated it, marched for it, and demanded it,” said Ashley L. Upkins, President of the National Bar Association. “His life reminds us that progress is not inevitable. It must be fought for and it must be won. And even in victory, we must still fight for it to be maintained.”
Rev. Jackson was one of the most consequential political and social justice voices of modern America. Founder of Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition, he expanded economic opportunity, increased Black voter registration nationwide, championed minority entrepreneurship, and twice ran for President of the United States, winning primaries and reshaping coalition politics at a time when such a candidacy was considered impossible.
Rev. Jackson negotiated the release of Americans detained abroad. He challenged corporate America to open its doors. He stood in rooms of power and insisted that the forgotten be remembered.
The members of the National Bar Association have supported and advanced the very causes Rev. Jackson championed; from voting rights protections and economic equity to criminal justice reform and equal access to opportunity. NBA lawyers filed briefs, litigated landmark cases, registered voters, advised policymakers, and served on the front lines of the battles that shaped the America Rev. Jackson envisioned.
This Black History Month, as our nation reflects on the architects of progress, we honor a man who stood on the balcony and lived to see the dream advance. Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. is now marching in Heaven; but the work he advanced continues here.
The National Bar Association extends its deepest condolences to the Jackson family and to all who were moved by his conviction and commitment to justice.
We will honor his legacy not only in words, but in continued action.
Rest in power, Reverend Jackson.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Janie Mackenzie
VP, Public Relations
janiemack@ascendantgroupbranding.com
856.473.2166
SOURCE: National Bar Association
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire
