Jesse Jackson greets a crowd of children during a Colorado visit in 1979. (Photo by John Prieto/The Denver Post)
The Rev. Jesse Jackson from operation push in Chicago flashes a grin as a joke is made at the idea that he might announce his Presidential campaign, during an interview in July 1983. (Photo by Anthony Suau/The Denver Post)
Rev. Jesse Jackson visits with children at the Richard Allen Pre-school part of the Shorter Community Church, during his Denver visit on Oct. 14, 2988. (Photo by Duane Howell/The Denver Post)
Presidential candidate Rev. Jesse Jackson delivers a sermon from the pulpit of Capitol Hill's first Baptist Church in Denver on Easter Sunday, April 3, 1988. (Photo by Brian Brainerd/The Denver Post)
Jesse Jackson went into the crowd after his talk to strikers at the Monfort plant in Greeley, where he picked up this kid and gave the thumbs up the crowd who were pushing and shoving to get the pleasure of shaking the hand of the man they want to be the next President, on April 2, 1988. (Photo by Dave Buresh/The Denver Post)
Rev. Jesse Jackson visits the Blair Caldwell Research Library in Denver on Saturday, July 12, 2008. (Photo Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
The Reverend Jesse Jackson, left, arrived at Friendship Baptist Church in Denver with Wilma Webb and Wellington Webb Sunday morning, July 13, 2008. (Photo by Karl Gehring/The Denver Post)
The Reverend Jesse Jackson preached at Friendship Baptist Church in Denver on Sunday, July 13, 2008. (Photo by Karl Gehring/The Denver Post)
The Reverend Jesse Jackson posed for photographs after preaching at Friendship Baptist Church in Denver on Sunday, July 13, 2008. (Photo by Karl Gehring/The Denver Post)
The Reverend Jesse Jackson preached at Friendship Baptist Church in Denver on Sunday, July 13, 2008. (Photo by Karl Gehring/The Denver Post)
Jesse Jackson greets people in the crowd on the final night of the Democratic National Convention, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008, at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver. (Photo by John Leyba/The Denver Post)
Jesse Jackson, right, prays and talks with visitors at the Aurora theater shooting memorial on Thursday, July, 26, 2012. (Photo by Heather Rousseau/The Denver Post)
Jesse Jackson, left, hugs a member of Aurora shooting victim Alex Sullivan's family, on Thursday, July, 26, 2012, at the memorial across from the theater where the shooting took place in Aurora. (Photo by Heather Rousseau/The Denver Post)
Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks in front of the apartment building of James Eagan Holmes at 1690 Paris St. in Aurora on Thursday, July 26, 2012. Jackson spoke about gun control at the apartment before visiting the family of one of the victims. (Photo by Stephen Mitchell/The Denver Post)
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Jesse Jackson greets a crowd of children during a Colorado visit in 1979. (Photo by John Prieto/The Denver Post)
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By Patrick Traylor | ptraylor@denverpost.com | The Denver Post
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Civil rights icon Rev. Jesse Jackson visited Colorado multiple times over the years, including stops during his two Presidential campaigns in the 1980s, around the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver and in the aftermath of the 2012 Aurora theater shooting. Jackson died on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at age 84.
