On the Friday, February 20, 2026, episode of The Excerpt podcast:Jesse Jackson, one of the most influential civil rights leaders in America, spent decades transforming his moral convictions into public action. A two-time Democratic presidential candidate, Jackson became one of the world's most recognized Black activists through his unwavering advocacy for justice and equality. USA TODAY National Correspondent Trevor Hughes joins The Excerpt to explore his legacy.
Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it.This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.
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Jesse Jackson:
We need not ease back into the uncivilized era of fighting to be a superior race, that is a contradiction in terms because there is but one race, the human race.
Dana Taylor:
Jesse Jackson spent decades as a public figure turning his moral convictions into public action. Jackson was a presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, a democratic presidential candidate, and one of the world's best-known Black activists. Following a lengthy illness, Jesse Jackson died earlier this week, on the morning of Tuesday, February 17th, he was 84 years old.
Hello, and welcome to USA TODAY's, the Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor, today is Friday, February 20th, 2026. For more on the life and legacy of the late Jesse Jackson, I'm now joined by USA TODAY National Correspondent Trevor Hughes. Trevor, thank you so much for joining me.
Trevor Hughes:
Yeah, good to be here.
Dana Taylor:
As you wrote, Trevor, Jesse Jackson was a towering civil rights icon, his civil rights story really begins at a public library in Greenville, South Carolina. Tell me about the Greenville Eight.
Trevor Hughes:
This is one of those stories that feels like it's from the ancient past, but it is not. This was 1960. Jesse Jackson was home from college, he was studying divinity, and he needed a book from the library. Now, at the time, segregation was legal under the Jim Crow laws. And the book he needed was in the white-only library. He tried to borrow it, they wouldn't let him, even though it was just steps away, they told him to come back maybe a week later and they would have it available. So, with a few friends, he did something audacious. They walked into the white library and started reading books. They sat down and read books. They weren't talking, they weren't hassling people, they just sat and read. And it so offended the community that these young men and women were arrested for violating the law. It ultimately led to the desegregation of the public libraries in their community, but it is really one of the first places that he got his start in civic activism.
Dana Taylor:
Like the late representative, John Lewis, who died in 2020, Jesse Jackson's civil rights legacy is tied to Martin Luther King Jr. What was Jackson's connection to MLK?
Trevor Hughes:
The two men came up very much at the same time, they were peers, and Jesse Jackson, after leaving college, moved to Chicago to help run operations for Dr. King. There was a protest organized, they called it Operation Breadbasket. But the two men were very much linked, and when Dr. King was killed, Jesse Jackson really took up that mantle, was present all over this country as sort of this civil rights conscience of America.
Dana Taylor:
Jackson was a trailblazer in American politics. He ran for president in 1984, in 1988. Trevor, how did those campaigns shape coalition politics?
Trevor Hughes:
I think people started to realize that there was a very powerful constituency here. Jesse Jackson worked to build this coalition, his group was called the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. And so, he really helped lay the foundations for the modern Democratic Party, which is built in bringing together disparate groups of people who are perhaps less specifically identified with one kind of belief, or one kind of worldview. And so, he really spoke to a broad variety of people who cared about civil rights, about racial justice, about economic justice, because that was a huge part of what he pushed for.
Dana Taylor:
And of course, he didn't shy away from engaging in foreign politics. What can you share here regarding his work in negotiating the release of American hostages?
Trevor Hughes:
It's easy to forget because he has fallen out of the public view over the last few years because of his long illness, but Jesse Jackson was such a powerfully known name. And so, he actually was able to travel the world and release a number of hostages in Syria, and then also in Cuba. He was not of the government, but he was in some ways of the American people, and that apparently was very successful.
Dana Taylor:
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Presidents on both sides of the aisle held Jackson in high esteem, including current presidentDonald Trump. What were his remarks following the passing of Jesse Jackson?
Trevor Hughes:
In a social media post, the president said something, I didn't realize, which is that he had provided office space for Jackson's coalition in New York City for quite some time. The two men were in New York City, they were operating at the same time. But it's also important to remember that the two very much split over the fate of the Central Park Five. This, you may recall, was an instance where five young, Black and Hispanic men were arrested and accused of raping and assaulting a woman in Central Park. President Trump, at the time, he was a New York businessman, he actually took out newspaper advertisements, calling for the death penalty, calling for these young men to be executed. Ultimately, they were exonerated, and that really separated Jackson from President Trump.
Dana Taylor:
And how have other leaders marked his passing?
Trevor Hughes:
Oh, I think you're really seeing the impact of Jesse Jackson across the country, from California, to Ohio, to Illinois, to... He had such an impact on so many politicians, particularly democratic politicians, who saw his work in coalition building, who saw his work in focusing on civil rights and workers' rights as something to really aspire to.
Dana Taylor:
Jesse Jackson was a staunch advocate for civil rights, we know that. That it includes pressing corporations on their hiring practices. What can you tell me about that push?
Trevor Hughes:
I think back to one of the things that really made his name was Operation Breadbasket, in Chicago, and it was this revolutionary idea at the time that members of the Black community would not patronize businesses that wouldn't hire Black people. Again, we're talking about a time in America where racial segregation, in many cases was not only widely accepted but legal. And so, his coalition and Operation Breadbasket really kicked that off, really brought attention to this idea that Black communities would not patronize businesses that were not supporting them.
And I got a press release earlier today from the union that represents hotel workers, restaurant workers, in Las Vegas, and they are mourning his loss because he marched with them under threat of arrest. And the arrest didn't happen, but he was there to lend his voice to the workers against these big corporations that own casinos.
Dana Taylor:
Like Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson was a reverend and a powerful public speaker. The cadence of the Black church was always evident in his speech. Can you give me some examples of the signature style he'll be remembered for?
Trevor Hughes:
There are two things, one which is very serious and one which is a little funny. He used to lead these chants about, "I am." And it was this idea that you as a person had value, that you matter to society. And that call and response was such a... I get chills thinking about it, because I heard this happen a number of times over the years. The other time that many people may have remembered is when he appeared on Saturday Night Live and read Dr. Seuss's book, Green Eggs and Ham. It's hard to imagine a politician today, and he had just run for president, it's hard to imagine a president today so seriously, but also so hilariously reading a nonsensical book like that. But the way he delivered it, the tone, the tenor, his cadence was just... It's amazing. If you go back and watch the recording, you can hear the studio audience just rolling on the floor laughing at the way he presented that.
Dana Taylor:
Trevor, Jesse Jackson marched with Dr. King back in the 1960s, and was still out decades later in support of protesters in 2021, that was during the trial of Derek Chauvin, who was ultimately convicted in the murder of George Floyd. Jackson was fearless in publicly affirming his beliefs and in his efforts for civil rights and justice. How much of that is part of Jackson's legacy as a public servant? Do you think that's what he'll be most remembered for?
Trevor Hughes:
Oh, I think so. Jesse Jackson was present in the lives of people for decades, and I remember being in Minneapolis when he came and spoke to the crowds who were protesting about the death of George Floyd, about the trial for Derek Chauvin. And I remember talking to young Black men in particular, who had known him all of their lives, who had grown up hearing him, who had grown up seeing him. And to have him lend his weight to their cause, that was really powerful. And I have to tell you, one of those young men that I covered back years ago, he was recently arrested, along with Don Lemon, in the church as part of the protests from the ICE actions. And so, I think his legacy really will last many, many years as it just, he sort of embodied this kind of protest and civil consciousness and civil conscience that really spoke to millions of Americans.
Dana Taylor:
Trevor Hughes is a national correspondent for USA TODAY, thank you so much for joining me on The Excerpt, Trevor.
Trevor Hughes:
Dana Taylor:
Thanks to our senior producer, Kaely Monahan, for her production assistance, our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to podcasts@usatoday.com. Thanks for listening, I'm Dana Taylor, I'll be back Monday morning with another episode of USA TODAY's The Excerpt.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Remembering Jesse Jackson and the power of building a coalition | The Excerpt
