Jesse Jackson was born on October 8, 1941. This date is consistently confirmed across reliable biographical sources detailing his early life in Greenville, South Carolina.

Birth Details

Born as Jesse Louis Burns to 18-year-old high school student Helen Burns and Noah Louis Robinson, a 33-year-old married neighbor and cotton grader, Jackson grew up in challenging circumstances that shaped his lifelong activism. His mother later married Charles Henry Jackson, who gave him his surname. The family navigated the segregated South, where Jackson excelled in sports and academics despite societal barriers.

Early Life Highlights

  • Attended segregated schools in Greenville, standing out as a star athlete in football and basketball.
  • Excelled at North Carolina A&T State University, becoming quarterback and student body president.
  • Became involved in civil rights during college, joining sit-ins and protests that launched his path alongside Martin Luther King Jr.

These foundational years fueled his rise as a Baptist minister, presidential candidate (1984 and 1988), and civil rights icon, earning him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000. Note that recent sources indicate he passed away on February 17, 2026, at age 84—marking the end of an era for American activism.

TL;DR: October 8, 1941, in Greenville, SC—sparking a legacy of civil rights leadership.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.