Greensboro's Civil Rights Museum Will Honor Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.

The International Civil Rights Center & Museum at 134 S. Elm Street in downtown Greensboro hosted a public commemoration in March 2026 honoring Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., who died Feb. 17, 2026 at age 84. Museum guests were able to reserve guided tours at noon and 2 p.m., followed by a main program beginning at 4 p.m. and refreshments after the program.

Jackson’s death and long career were central to the program. Jackson graduated from North Carolina A&T State University in 1964, served as the university’s quarterback, worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., founded the Rainbow Coalition and Operation PUSH, ran for president in 1984 and 1988, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton. John Swaine, CEO of the ICRCM, framed the commemoration around Jackson’s practice of collective action: "The way that we honor him is to walk hand in hand, as he did across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, as he did through the streets of Chicago, and inspire."

Local leaders emphasized Jackson’s ties to Greensboro and to the city’s campuses. Guilford County Commissioner and museum co-founder Melvin "Skip" Alston recalled Jackson’s role in student organizing and mentorship, saying, "He made it so that people can see an African-American possibly being in that position." Alston also remembered direct-action moments linked to downtown Greensboro, stating, "[In] 1963, he sat down on these streets right here and blocked the traffic from coming down... We caught and [brought] about 200 or so students right down here on Elm Street."

Community coverage and local memory work appeared in regional outlets and the Peacemaker. In a remembrance published by the Peacemaker, staff writer Yasmine Regester wrote, "Today, we gather to honor the life and legacy of Reverend Jesse Jackson, a beacon of hope and justice whose profound influence on our lives will never fade. To me, he wasn’t just a leader, he was a personal friend, a mentor, and a guiding force who helped shape the path I walk today," describing Jackson’s commitment to justice, equality, and service.

The ICRCM noted it previously honored Jackson in 2018, though news accounts differ on the precise award title: Peacemaker reported a "Lifetime Civil and Human Rights Award" at the museum’s annual gala, while other local outlets referenced a "Freedom Award" that year. The museum, a private self-sustaining 501(c)(3) nonprofit with affiliations including the U.S. Civil Rights Trail and the American Alliance of Museums, has directed those seeking family statements or final-arrangements information to the Jesse Jackson Legacy Foundation.

By staging the commemoration and offering public tours, the ICRCM positioned Greensboro’s Elm Street as a continuing site of civic education and remembrance, threading Jackson’s national activism back to classrooms and streets at North Carolina A&T, Bennett College, and the neighborhoods where local organizers still teach and organize.