February 17, 2026
Contact: media@haitianbridge.org

SAN DIEGO, CA — Haitian Bridge Alliance mourns the passing of Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., a towering civil rights leader whose lifelong advocacy for justice, equality, and human dignity profoundly impacted immigrants and marginalized communities in the United States and around the world.

Reverend Jackson played a pivotal role in the international movement to end apartheid in South Africa, advocating for sanctions against the apartheid regime and mobilizing U.S. political and civil society support to confront institutionalized racial oppression. His engagement with African leaders and global institutions reflected his conviction that freedom anywhere is inseparable from freedom everywhere. This commitment extended through his service as a U.S. Special Envoy focused on democracy promotion, where he advanced democratic governance, human rights, and U.S.–Africa relations across the continent.

Reverend Jackson was also a steadfast defender of immigrant and refugee rights. For decades, he challenged discriminatory U.S. immigration policies and condemned the unequal treatment of Haitian asylum seekers, insisting on a single standard of dignity and fairness for all, and called for the extension of Temporary Protected Status

Guerline Jozef, Executive Director of Haitian Bridge Alliance, Issued the Following Statement:

“Reverend Jesse Jackson’s extraordinary life and legacy stand as a powerful example of how movements can—and must—come together to confront injustice on a global scale. His advocacy demonstrated that the struggle for civil rights, immigrant justice, and human dignity is deeply interconnected across borders and communities. In that spirit, Haitian Bridge Alliance reiterates its call for movements, advocates, and institutions to join forces in challenging unjust policies that harm Americans and the global community alike, and in advancing a shared vision of justice, dignity, and collective liberation.”

ABOUT HAITIAN BRIDGE ALLIANCE

Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA), also known as “The Bridge”, is a grassroots community organization that advocates for fair and humane immigration policies, foreign policy, and provides migrants and immigrants with humanitarian, legal, and social services, with a particular focus on Black migrants, the Haitian community, women and girls, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and survivors of torture and other human rights abuses. HBA also seeks to elevate the issues unique to Black migrants and builds solidarity and collective movement toward policy change. Anpil men chay pa lou (“Many hands make the load light”). Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook: @haitianbridge