Jesse Jackson remembered by Greenville leaders and supporters

Jesse Jackson never forgot where he came from, and people from his hometown of Greenville remembered him Tuesday after his death was announced by family members.

The theme of their comments was no matter the heights, the accomplishments, the accolades Jackson received through his long career it was the three-room house on Haynie Street that launched a civil rights pioneer.

Greenville Mayor Knox White said Jackson’s “earliest core messages to young people about the worth and potential of every individual were inspired by coaches and teachers at Sterling High School and his own experiences in a then-segregated but brave and proud community.“

Sterling, originally called Greenville Academy, was founded in 1896 by the Rev. D.M. Minus and later renamed to honor Mrs. E.R. Sterling, who paid for Minus’ education at Claflin University. Like many of the Black churches in Greenville, it was a center for education and civil rights activism. It burned down in 1967 as students were enjoying a dance in the nearby gymnasium.

The official report said the fire was caused by faulty wiring, but many believed it was arson. The school met in other locations until it closed when Greenville County schools were integrated n 1970.

“When he returned home, which he did often, he embraced old friends whom he never forgot and marveled at the changes in the city. I always thought it spoke well of his character that even on the world stage he kept close to family and friends at home,” White said.

Longtime Greenville City Council member Lillian Brock Flemming said on Facebook, “His legacy will be servant leader. “Yes, he was famous, but he was famous for doing something for others.”

She remembered when, at Jackson’s behest, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., supported Black employees at Greenville’s Claussen Bakery who were on strike due to discriminatory practices.

“He and several other young people marched around Claussen Bakery,” Flemming said. “The company and the staff finally gave in. Blacks became truck drivers, working as office staff, worked in the store.”

She also said Jackson used facts and information about discrimination.

“He didn’t use pretty, glowing words about certain things. He took his time and talked about the real truth and called names,” Flemming said.

Greenville County Schools superintendent Burke Royster said, “His message consistently underscored the importance of parental involvement, strong support for educators, and continued investment in public schools to help all students succeed. As a school district committed to preparing every child to reach their maximum potential, we recognize the lasting impact of his voice in challenging us to keep education at the center of community progress.”

Furman University history professor Courtney Tollison Hartness said she believes people were drawn to Jackson “because he was one of the last living links to the inner circle of the civil rights movement. As someone who worked closely with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy, Jackson had intimate insight into the strategies of one of the world’s great movements for social justice.”

Jackson was with King when King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968.

Greenville civil rights leader Derrick L. Quarles said on Facebook he met Jackson in Sanford, Florida, after Trayvon Martin was killed. People were on edge and grieving, Quarles said, but, “There he was. Calm. Steady. Listening. Speaking. Standing with us.”

And he continued to be there through the struggles, during rallies about police violence and when the Confederate flag was taken from the top of the South Carolina State House.

“In 2022, I got a call that Rev would be in town and wanted a great dinner. I called the General Manager at Hall’s Chophouse. Within hours, they had prepared something special for him. A custom meal that wasn’t even on the menu. That’s the level of respect he carried,” Quarles wrote

That’s legacy and sacrifice, he said.

“People love to talk about him in the past tense like his relevance stopped in the 60s. That’s lazy. Rev. Jackson was organizing in the 80s, negotiating in the 90s, mobilizing in the 2000s, mentoring in the 2010s, and still showing up in the 2020s,” Quarles wrote. “He built movements. He built institutions. He built leaders. He built access where doors were locked. And he built belief in a whole generation of us who refuse to sit down.”

Quarles ended his tribute saying, “The work continues.”

This story was originally published February 17, 2026 at 4:31 PM.