By Chianti Marks
AFRO Intern 

The Black faith community, civil rights and justice advocates and supporters and well-wishers from around the world are mourning the loss of Bishop Reginald Jackson, a respected prelate of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Jackson died Nov. 25 at the age of 71.

“With profound sorrow, the Jackson family announces the passing of Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, who transitioned unexpectedly,” relatives said in an official statement posted on social media. “We are heartbroken by this immeasurable loss and ask for your prayers, love, and respect for our privacy as we navigate this difficult time. Further details will be shared in the coming days.”

At the time of his untimely death, Bishop Jackson served as the presiding prelate of the AME Church’s Second Episcopal District, which covers churches in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and the District of Columbia. 

A Dover, Del., native, Jackson exemplified the ethos of the Black Church – serving as both a religious and civic leader – in a ministry spanning more than five decades.

During an Aug. 28 “tent revival” at Washington, D.C.’s historic Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, for example, Jackson called out the failings of the nation’s leaders and put a spotlight on current issues – such as the president’s deployment of troops into the nation’s capital – even as he encouraged believers to  shore up their faith, the AFRO reported.

“We have too many people in D.C. with positions of power but who lack character,” Jackson said at the time, pointing to President Trump and others as the worst offenders. “And while the president says he wants to crack down on violent crime in D.C., what he needs to address is the rise in white collar crime which has ramped up across the nation, even in the White House.”

“We need to ask God to help us to cry, to cry out until America can’t help but hear us,” Jackson continued. “And as we cry out and make our demands known, we need to rely on God and be faithful and unafraid.”

Jackson pastored at St. John AME Church in Jersey City, N.J., and for 31 years at St. Matthew AME Church in Orange, N.J. During that time, he represented more than 600 Black churches in the state as president of the Black Ministers Council of New Jersey from 1994 to 2012.  He became active in the city, state and county, raising awareness on social issues such as equity in schools, healthcare, criminal justice and voting rights; organizing the community and church to take action to advance God’s worldly kingdom, and taking steps to address matters affecting underserved populations.

Jackson also served on the Orange Public Schools Board of Education for 16 years, including 12 years as president, and on the Essex County College Board of Trustees for 13 years, including 10 years as president.

In July 2012, Jackson was elected and consecrated as the 132nd bishop of the AME Church and was appointed as prelate of the 20th Episcopal District (Malawi, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Uganda) and as the Ecumenical and Urban Affairs Officer of the AME Church.  

From 2016 to 2024 he served as the bishop of the Sixth Episcopal District, which included over 500 churches in the state of Georgia, and served as a chairman of Morris Brown College and Turner Theological Seminary.  

When Morris Brown was accredited, the Sixth District paid off all of its debts under Jackson’s direction, he pushed the state to enact hate crimes legislation, which became law in 2020, and he was an outspoken supporter of voting rights and numerous other social causes.

He was appointed as presiding prelate of the Second Episcopal District in 2024. 

“Bishop Jackson was the embodiment of the best of the Black church. He empowered the people, encouraged the community and challenged the establishment,” said the Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant, senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia and former pastor of Empowerment Temple AME church in Baltimore. “His voter registration mobilization helped flip the state of Georgia and put the rest of the nation on notice.” 

Even as condolences poured in from members of the faith community, many others came from community, civil and social justice activists who spoke to Jackson’s work and advocacy on behalf of Black people.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, called Bishop Jackson a “towering faith leader who devoted his life to justice, service, and the empowerment of our people,” and “a voice of moral clarity in some of our nation’s most difficult battles, from voting rights to economic equality to protecting our communities.”

“I counted Bishop Jackson as a friend and brother in the struggle,” added the well-known civil rights leader. “We marched together, prayed together, and stood on many fronts to defend the least of these. His sudden passing is a heartbreaking loss for the AME Church, the civil rights community, and all who were touched by his leadership.”

The Legal Defense Fund, who worked with Jackson in battling Georgia’s voter suppression laws, also praised his willingness to add his “moral authority and leadership” to garner support for the issue.

“We mourn the loss of Bishop Reginald Jackson, an abiding servant-leader in the advancement of civil rights and an extraordinary force of faith and justice in Georgia and far beyond,” said LDF President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson in a statement. “Bishop Jackson’s leadership during LDF’s early fight against voter suppression helped protect the fundamental right to vote for countless Black Georgians. His faith, his voice, and his unshakable commitment to racial justice strengthened our democracy. We honor his legacy and remain committed to carrying forward the work he championed.”

Jackson is survived by his two children, Regina Victoria Jackson and Seth Joshua Jackson. He was married to the late Christy Davis Jackson.