Biden praises retiring Jesse Jackson as ‘a man of God and of the people’

President Biden honored retiring Rev. Jesse Jackson in a statement Sunday, thanking him for “his lifetime of dedicated service” and calling him “a man of God and of the people.”

Jackson announced Saturday that he is resigning from his post as president of the Chicago-based civil rights group the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, which he founded more than 50 years ago. 

“The promise of America is that we are all created equal in the image of God and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives. While we’ve never fully lived up to that promise, we’ve never fully walked away from it because of extraordinary leaders like Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr.,” Biden wrote in the statement.

“Throughout our decades of friendship and partnership, I’ve seen how Reverend Jackson has helped lead our nation forward through tumult and triumph. Whether on the campaign trail, on the march for equality, or in the room advocating for what is right and just, I’ve seen him as history will remember him: a man of God and of the people; determined, strategic, and unafraid of the work to redeem the soul of our nation,” Biden continued. 

Jackson was a protégé of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and was a strong advocate for civil rights. He ran for president twice, in 1984 and 1988, when he won 13 primaries and caucuses, making him the most successful Black candidate to run for the country’s top office until former President Obama’s ascendancy to the White House. 

Jackson has suffered health setbacks in recent years. In 2017, he announced he had begun treatment for Parkinson’s disease two years earlier. Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes, a student of Jackson’s and supporter of the Rainbow PUSH coalition, will become the new president, according to the coalition. 

“Jill and I are grateful to Reverend Jackson for his lifetime of dedicated service and extend our appreciation to the entire Jackson family.  We look forward to working with the Rainbow PUSH Coalition as he hands the torch to the next generation of leadership, just as we will continue to cherish the counsel and wisdom that we draw from him,” Biden wrote.