LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Rev. Jesse Jackson, a protégé of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who dedicated his life to fighting for civil and human rights both at home and abroad, died today at his Chicago home at the age of 84.
In his later years, he was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder. Jackson’s daughter confirmed his death.
A two-time presidential candidate, Jackson was a fierce advocate for justice and a staunch advocate for workers’ rights and unions. He notably stood on the picket lines with Culinary Union members during the long-running Frontier Hotel strike in the 1990s, bringing national attention to the effort.
Local leaders remember Jackson’s Las Vegas impact
Standing next to Jackson during the strike was his fraternity brother [Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.] and former Nevada legislator Wendall P. Williams, founder of the Las Vegas Martin Luther King Jr. Parade.
“My career started in the legislature in 1986. And that was at the time Las Vegas was going through a lot of changes,” Williams said.
By the early 1990s, Las Vegas was entrenched in the longest-running workers’ strike in U.S. history. More than 500 Culinary workers at the Frontier Hotel & Casino walked off protesting wage and benefit cuts.
Williams was a young assemblyman at the time, representing Clark County District 6.
“I walked on picket lines with him and organized with him,” Williams said. “It was like getting another degree. Because being around him, I mean, if you pay attention, you learn so much.”
Strike solidarity and national attention
Rev. Jesse Jackson, already an established international civil rights leader, quickly joined the picket lines. Together, the two friends stood side by side.
Ted Pappageorge, the former president of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226, can still remember police warning workers that they’d be arrested for striking. At the time, he worked at the Horseshoe, where workers had also gone on strike.
“I worked in the hotels. I was a bartender in 1990. I was on strike,” Pappageorge said. “We lined up behind Jesse, and none of us were arrested that day.”
Jackson made countless visits to the picket lines, drawing national attention, and by 1998, Jackson led workers in a triumphant march back into the hotel, finally ending the strike.
“Jesse Jackson was a giant for workers and working families here in Southern Nevada,” Pappageorge said.
Lasting influence on Nevada advocates
Both men said Jackson inspired them and countless others in Nevada to fight for workers’ rights. Jackson remained a prominent figure in Las Vegas, returning almost yearly and organizing and speaking with young people.
“Watching him and studying him, I found out how to assess the impact people, organize folks in communities around the fact of fairness,” Williams said.
Williams recalled Jackson’s dedication to young people: “He sat on the floor, and he was with the children. He must have stayed an hour over talking to young people because, you know, he had that ability and he had that passion in his heart to do that.”
Jackson will remain a civil and human rights giant, Dr. King’s protégé, but for Las Vegas, he will be remembered as an ally.
“For us, he was somebody who didn’t care about publicity. He cared about workers,” Pappageorge said.
“There has not been an individual to live in Las Vegas or to visit Las Vegas who’s had the impact on workers’ rights, as Reverend Jackson has,” Williams added.
Funeral arrangements are currently being coordinated by Jackson’s family and his Rainbow Push Coalition.
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