A historic force to be reckoned with, a giant to be mourned. Our panel pays tribute to the Rev Jesse Jackson

Why it matters

The last time I met him was in 2021 at a conference in Paris about the international fight against racism.If any single person could be said to carry on the legacy of King, it was Jesse.

Key takeaways

• One of his final international trips was to Paris in 2021, where the president, Emmanuel Macron, awarded him France’s highest honour at the Élysée Palace.
• Leaders of that stripe are most dangerous – so mourn today, because we can ill afford to lose them.I first met the Rev Jesse Jackson when I was a brand new MP in the 1980s.
• His presidential tilts in 1984 and 1988 were never going to end in the White House, but they nonetheless had traction because he understood the overlap between racial struggles and class.