Rev. Jesse Jackson's 6 Children: All About the Late Civil Rights Leader's Kids
- - Rev. Jesse Jackson's 6 Children: All About the Late Civil Rights Leader's Kids
Jessica SagerFebruary 17, 2026 at 9:19 AM
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Reverend Jesse Jackson and his son, May 15, 1993; Jesse Jackson and Santita Jackson arrive at the 16th annual Trumpet Awards January 13, 2008
Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty; Prince Williams/FilmMagic
Rev. Jesse Jackson's legacy goes beyond his trailblazing work in the Civil Rights Movement to his family of six children.
The activist died on Feb. 17 at the age of 84. His children announced his death on Instagram, writing, "Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world."
They continued, “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”
Jackson shared five children with his wife, Jacqueline Lavinia Brown Jackson: sons Jesse Jackson Jr., Jonathan Jackson and Yusef DuBois Jackson, and daughters Santita Jackson and Jacqueline "Jackie" Lavinia Jackson.
Jackson also had a daughter named Ashley Jackson after an affair with his staffer Karin Stanford, per CNN. Years before his death, Jackson told The Guardian, "While I've spent a lot of quality time with my children, perhaps it's not been enough."
Here is everything to know about Rev. Jesse Jackson's children.
Santita Jackson, 62
Jesse Jackson and Santita Jackson attend the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater opening night gala benefit
Taylor Hill/Getty
Jackson's eldest child, daughter Santita, was born on July 17, 1963.
She was a National Merit Scholar and thrived at school despite growing up under constant stress surrounding her parents' safety.
"You pick up the phone and [someone says] 'Hi, little girl.' 'Hi...' 'Is your father home?' 'No.' 'Was he wearing a trench coat this morning?' 'Yes, sir.' ' Well, you know, you should call him at the office because if he comes home I'll blow his f---ing head off,' " Santita recalled to Scripps News in 2022.
In high school, Santita was best friends with Michelle Obama, later singing and serving as maid of honor in her wedding to Barack Obama, per Oprah Daily. She is also a godmother to their elder daughter, Malia Obama, according to The New York Times.
After high school, Santita attended Howard University, and later decided to pursue her true passion: music.
"Music was what I always wanted to do," she told Chicago Magazine in 1996. "All of my close friends really knew that. But it was something I could never articulate with my family." Santita became a backup singer for "Killing Me Softly" crooner Roberta Flack, who was a close family friend.
Today, Santita is a political analyst (often appearing on Fox News) and hosted The Santita Jackson Show on YouTube. She was also the co-host and an executive producer of the iHeart podcast and radio show Keep Hope Alive With Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Jesse Jackson Jr., 60
Reverend Jesse Jackson poses for a portrait with his son Jesse Jackson Jr.
Steve Kagan/Getty
Born March 11, 1965, in Greenville, S.C., Jesse Jr. is his father's namesake and eldest son, but he told The New York Times that growing up in Chicago, he was closer with his mother.
Jesse Jr. graduated in just three years from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University with a business administration degree. After working the campaign trail for his father's presidential run, Jesse Jr. studied at the Chicago Theological Seminary (but never got ordained), then went to law school at University of Illinois, graduating early but never taking the bar exam.
He explained to Chicago Magazine in 2005, "[If] I didn’t have certain accomplishments at age 30, the press and so many others would be saying, ‘The kid’s unqualified; what the hell’s he been doing?’ I saw in ’84 and ’88 what people did to my father by saying he was unqualified. So I said if I ever ran for public office, they would never hold that over my head."
Jesse Jr. worked as the national field director for the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and in 1995, his wife, Sandi, urged him to run for Congress against then-Rep. Alice Palmer. He won and remained in Congress until June 2012, when he took a medical leave of absence to undergo treatment for bipolar II disorder, per TIME.
He resigned that November amid investigations from the FBI and the House Ethics Committee for misusing $750,000 in campaign funds, according to The Chicago Tribune.
In February 2013, Jesse Jr. pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and false statements for using campaign funds for personal expenses. Sandi pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns, per CNN. She was sentenced to one year and Jesse Jr. to 30 months. They staggered their sentences so one of them could be home with their children (son Jesse "Tre" Jackson III and daughter Jessica) while the other was behind bars.
Sandi and Jesse Jr. split in 2016 and settled their divorce in April 2018. In 2024, Jesse Jr. requested a pardon from President Joe Biden, but was denied, WTTW reported. He was named a drive-time radio host for Chicago's Black news radio station WVON in January 2025.
In October of that year, Jesse Jr. announced his intention to run for his former seat in the House, per CBS.
Jonathan Jackson, 60
Rev. Jesse Jackson and his son, Jonathan, arrive at the 40th anniversary celebration for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty
Jackson and Jacqueline welcomed their third child, a son named Jonathan, on Jan. 7, 1966.
After high school, he earned a business administration degree from North Carolina A&T State University and his MBA from Northwestern University.
Throughout his career, Jonathan has worked in distribution, telecommunications and construction, using his knowledge as a professor at Chicago State University and teaching finance and entrepreneurship at Chicago City Colleges. He was also a national spokesperson for his father's Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Jonathan ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022 after Rep. Bobby Rush announced his retirement. He won the seat, as well as a 2024 reelection bid.
Jonathan told N'Digo that he lives in Chicago's Jackson Park Highlands neighborhood (across the street from his parents) with his wife of nearly three decades, Marilyn. They share three adult children.
Yusef Dubois Jackson, 55
Yusef DuBois Jackson and Jesse Jackson attend CORE Gala: A Gala Dinner to Benefit CORE
Michael Kovac/Getty
Jackson and Jacqueline welcomed their son Yusef on Sep. 26, 1970.
Per his LinkedIn, Yusef is an attorney, corporate advisor, community advocate, entrepreneur and investor. He is also on the board of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and is a founding member and director of the Jackson Legacy Foundation.
In a rare 2007 interview with Chicago Magazine, Yusef was described as "thoughtful, confident and soft-spoken."
His business ventures through the years include the distribution of Anheuser-Busch beers and running Radar magazine.
Yusef doesn't often speak publicly about his life or his family, preferring to focus on his business. He explained to Chicago Magazine in 2007, "Given my family's background — and we are a very public family and very public people — there has been a general interest in my story, and sometimes those stories have a tendency to drown out the products you're offering. Often the stories are wrong and misleading, and I've even chosen not to correct them. I think the actual facts and the honesty and integrity of my intentions will over time outlast any particular story."
Jacqueline Lavinia "Jackie" Jackson, 50
Jesse Jackson his daughter Jacqueline (Jackie) holding Michael Jacksons Lifetime Achievement award
Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty
Born Sept. 28, 1975, Jackie was named after her mother and is Jacqueline and Jackson's youngest child.
Little is known about Jackie beyond what her father has shared. On her birthday in 2022, Jackson wrote on Facebook, "Please join me in wishing a happy birthday to my daughter, Dr. Jacqueline Jackson. She is brilliant and witty and has lived and advanced her research all around the world."
He continued, "She has advanced degrees in biology and cultural anthropology and graduated with a doctorate in international educational policy. She’s deep. What a glorious day it was on the day of her birth. Named after her mother, Dr. Jackson is a powerhouse in her own right. We share lots of deep conversations and giggles. She is truly a world changer."
Ashley Jackson, 26
Rev. Jesse Jackson and daughter Ashley Jackson attend The HollyRod Foundation's 20th Annual DesignCare Gala
Robin L Marshall/Getty
Jackson's youngest child is Ashley, who was born on May 18, 1999, to mother Karin Stanford.
Stanford is an author and former college professor who worked in the Washington, D.C. Rainbow PUSH Coalition office, according to ABC News.
Jackson admitted that he had an extramarital affair with Stanford resulting in the birth of Ashley, telling The New York Times in a 2001 statement, "This is no time for evasions, denials or alibis. I fully accept responsibility and I am truly sorry for my actions."
"As her mother does, I love this child very much," he added. "I was born of these circumstances, and I know the importance of growing up in a nurturing, supportive and protected environment. So I am determined to give my daughter and her mother the privacy they both deserve."
Jackson also said it was "an extremely painful, trying and difficult time" for his wife and other children, but that they would get past it through forgiveness and prayer.
Ashley is an actress, producer and screenwriter with credits including Netflix's BEATS in 2019 and the drama Blast Beat. She was also host of the PUSH: The Next Generation podcast.
She graduated from Spelman College in 2020 and from the master's program at the Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts in 2025. Ashley has campaigned with PETA and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, among others.
In October 2025, Ashley announced that she was creating a docuseries about her father's legacy told from her perspective.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
