As North Carolina A&T State University celebrates its 135th Founders Day (March 9, 1891), it is fitting to remember one of its most influential alumni, the late Rev. Jesse Jackson. His time at A&T helped transform a young student into a global advocate for justice and equality. The lessons he learned on campus prepared him to champion civil rights, run for president, and advocate for human rights worldwide.
The Greenville, South Carolina native transferred to North Carolina A&T in 1961 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, arriving just months after four A&T freshmen launched a historic sit-in at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter. He immersed himself in campus life, playing quarterback for the Aggie football team, becoming a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc, and serving as student body president. During this time, he met Jacqueline L. B. Jackson, a fellow sociology and psychology student. They married in 1962 while still undergraduates, nurturing a shared commitment to social justice and community empowerment.
A&T shaped Jackson’s approach to leadership. Serving as student body president taught him to represent others, participating in demonstrations revealed the power of nonviolent protest, and public speaking honed his ability to inspire people. These skills became the foundation of a life devoted to challenging injustice and mobilizing communities.
The late Reverend Jesse Jackson during his college years at North Carolina A&T State University, where he was active in college sports, a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and served as Student Government Association President; Photo Credit: NCAT
Jackson became an active voice in Greensboro’s civil rights struggle. He worked with student groups and organizations, organized demonstrations calling for desegregation, led marches, delivered speeches, and even wrote letters from jail after being arrested during protests. One major peaceful march involved roughly 2,000 students and community members, helping push downtown businesses toward integration. These experiences highlighted the power of organized, disciplined activism, a lesson he carried throughout his life.
He graduated from NC A&T in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology. After graduation, Jackson moved to Chicago to attend Chicago Theological Seminary, where he deepened his ministry and social justice work. He joined the movement led by Martin Luther King Jr., working with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and later founded Operation PUSH (now Rainbow PUSH Coalition), focusing on economic empowerment and equal opportunity. Even as his influence expanded nationally and globally, Jackson remained connected to his alma mater, carrying A&T’s lessons wherever he went.
For Jesse Jackson, North Carolina A&T was a proving ground for leadership and activism. The HBCU environment instilled in him racial pride, service to humanity, and a commitment to justice. From student athlete to civil rights leader, his journey demonstrates how one campus can shape not just a career, but history itself.
On this Founders Day, his story reminds us of the enduring power of education, courage, and community. Within the classrooms, dormitories, and gatherings of A&T, the seeds of history were planted and from those seeds, leaders rise.
