02/20/2026
Long before health equity entered our everyday language, the Reverend Jesse Jackson understood its core truth: health justice requires not only access to care, but also community wisdom and community power.
His 1988 presidential campaign advanced The Jackson National Health Program—a visionary framework that treated health care as a human right and insisted on meaningful community participation. Decades later, we are still working toward what he already knew.
Rest in power, Rev. Jackson. The work of health justice and human rights is stronger because of your vision, leadership, and perseverance. May we honor your legacy by realizing the future you imagined for us all.