JACKSON, JESSE LOUIS, SR.
Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. is a CIVIL
RIGHTS activist, clergyman, and prominent
African American leader in the United States.
Jackson was born October 8, 1941, in
Greenville, South Carolina. His mother, Helen
Burns, was only 16 when Jackson was born. His
father, Noah Louis Robinson, acknowledged
Jackson as his son, but because he was married
to another woman and had several other chil-
dren, he was not involved in Jackson’s life.When
he was three, his mother married Charles Jack-
son. The family eventually moved out of the
poor section of town to a new housing project,
where, for the first time, they enjoyed hot and
cold running water and an indoor bathroom.
Jackson was legally adopted by his stepfather
when he was 12. He has one brother, Charles
Jackson Jr.
Jackson attended the all-black Sterling High
School, in Greenville, where he was a star football
player.After graduation in 1959, he went north to
