Statement by AFT Officers on the Passing of the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.

WASHINGTON—AFT President Randi Weingarten, Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram and Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus issued the following statement on the passing of civil rights leader and the founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Honorable Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr.:

“Today, we mourn the loss of a titan of justice whose life was a testament to the belief that every voice matters and real change requires relentless moral courage. For decades, the AFT stood shoulder to shoulder with him. He walked our picket lines and lifted up our members, knowing that labor rights and civil rights are inseparable. He fought tirelessly for education funding and justice, and he spoke out with urgency against the scourge of gun violence devastating our communities.

“His powerful affirmation—‘I am somebody’—gave generations of young people a sense of dignity and possibility. Rev. Jackson was always dreaming, always fighting. He believed in the audacity of hope long before it was fashionable. He believed in multiracial coalitions, in the power of organized labor and in the promise of democracy, and he never stopped pushing this country to be better.

“On behalf of our 1.8 million members, we can say that our relationship with Rev. Jackson was not fleeting—it was forged in struggle and sustained in solidarity. We are better because he walked with us. We are stronger because he believed in us. May we honor his life not only in words, but in continued action—lifting up workers, protecting children, confronting injustice and proclaiming—through our deeds as well as our voices—that everybody is somebody.

“We extend our deepest condolences to his family, to his many friends across generations of activists, educators and unionists, and to all who were inspired by his remarkable life.”