GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Helen Burns Jackson, the mother of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, has died. She was 92.
Democratic presidential hopeful Jesse Jackson clasps hands with his mother, Helen Jackson, during taping of the Phil Donahue show in New York. Jackson told The Associated Press his mother died Monday, Sept. 7, 2015 in her longtime hometown of Greenville, S.C. He says she had been in failing health for some time. She was 92. (AP Photo/Barry Thumma, file)
The Rev. Jesse Jackson told The Associated Press his mother died Monday morning in her longtime hometown of Greenville, South Carolina. He says she had been in failing health for some time.
Jackson described his mother as a talented musician and an active member of her church and community.
He says she was a big inspiration for much of his community activism.
Jackson says his mother had two scholarships to attend college, but when she became pregnant with him, she chose not to go. She later became a cosmetologist.
Burns Jackson saw her son rise to fame as an activist and two-time presidential candidate. Another son, Chuck Jackson, is a singer and songwriter.