By Rev. Gregory Smith

As we draw to a close of African American History Month, it seems quite apropos that we pause to acknowledge two civil rights icons who transferred from their respective labor to reward during this historic month. In a striking providence, Joan Hill and the Rev. Dr. Jesse Jackson, both born in 1941, were called home just one day apart: Joan on February 16, 2026, and Jesse on February 17, 2026. How sobering that we lost two significant players in the cumulative journey of civil rights would depart within twenty-four hours of one another. Both of these remarkable trailblazers made life-changing contributions to our town, this nation, and world.

The Rev. Dr. Jesse Jackson, born and raised in Greenville,South Carolina, began his journey in the civil rights movement as a high school student. After graduating, he attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, earning a B.A. in 1964. He then attended Chicago Theological Seminary from 1964 to 1966. Though he left just a few classes short of completing the Master of Divinity degree in order to join the civil rights movement full-time, he was later awarded the M.Div. In 1999.

His early exposure to civil rights activism began in the 1960s as a college student, when he was arrested alongside seven others in the “Greenville Eight” peaceful sit-in at an all-white public library in his hometown. While attending North Carolina A&T, he engaged in regular marches and sit-ins. Upon arriving in Chicago for seminary, he was introduced to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and joined the Southern Christina Leadership Conference. He was appointed director of the Chicago chapter of Operation Breadbasket, where he focused on economic justice and organized boycotts to secure jobs for Black residents. He was also active in the 1965 march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.

He later formed his own nonprofit organization, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, expanding his work into international affairsand speaking out against the Regan presidency.

Jackson made history in November 1983 when he declared his own candidacy for president. He said that he desired “to serve the nation at a level where he could help restore moral tone, a redemptive spirit and sensitivity to the needs of the poor.” As a world-renowned leader and influencer, he used his foreign policy expertise to help to secure the release of downed American airman Robert Goodman.

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For more than two decades, our own Joan E. Hill stood at the center of Princeton’s fight for civil rights, equality, and community dignity. As Executive Director of Princeton’s Joint Commission on Civil Rights for 21 years, she was a relentless advocate for fair housing, equitable employment, educational access, and just policing. Wherever inequality surfaced—whether in schools, workplaces, or neighborhoods—Joan showed up, spoke out, and stayed.

Her leadership extended well beyond any single institution. Joan founded and led numerous nonprofit organizations, served on the Princeton school board, and worked closely with local government, faith communities, and grassroots groups to confront systemic injustice. She was instrumental in creating job listings, training programs, apprenticeships, and skills banks that supported unemployed and underemployed residents across both the borough and township. Her work was not symbolic; it was practical, strategic, and deeply rooted in the lived realities of the community.

Dr. Michael Nabors, former pastor of First Baptist Church and her successor as civil rights director, reflected on her impact:
“Joan was filled with passion for social justice and civil rights. She was a powerful advocate whose voice could be heard addressing elected officials, landlords, business owners, and Princeton residents. Through this work she spent years advocating for equal opportunities in employment, housing, police relations, and education.”

He further recalled that Joan worked closely with Princeton’s Black churches—including Mt. Pisgah, First Baptist, and Witherspoon Presbyterian Church—and was “a tireless and powerful presence… one of the primary voices helping lead the Princeton Black community for over two decades.”

Joan also helped launch and sustain key community institutions, including the Witherspoon–Jackson Development Corporation, the Princeton Black Caucus, the African-American League, and The Black Word: Organ of the African-American League. She served on the board of the Youth Center and Princeton’s Human Relations Council, earning a reputation as someone who understood the pulse of the African American community and acted decisively in its defense. In 1975, her leadership was recognized with the Freedom Award from the Central Jersey branch of the NAACP.

The roots of Joan Hill’s activism were deeply personal. A native Princetonian, she attended the segregated Witherspoon School for Colored Children through first grade before moving to the integrated Nassau Street School under the Princeton Plan in 1948, later graduating from Princeton High School in 1959. At sixteen, a defining moment clarified her path: while attending the National Teen Convention of the YWCA in St. Louis in 1957, Joan and other Black students were denied entry to a local restaurant, prompting the entire group to boycott in solidarity. Though frightening, she later described the experience as pivotal—“We boycotted and picketed while in St. Louis”—and it helped set the course for her life’s work. She later attended Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, further shaping the foundation for her commitment to civil rights.

Joan E. Hill’s life was defined not only by conviction, but by action. She believed civil rights work belonged not just in speeches or protests, but in policies, programs, and persistent presence. Through decades of service, she helped shape a more just Princeton—and left a legacy that continues to guide the community she loved.

Two great civil rights leaders—one with a national and international reach, the other with a local impact—have gone to be with the ancestors. For such a time as this, who will rise to lead the journey forward?

Special thanks to Rev. Dr. Michael Nabors, Tracey Hill, Adam Welch and Kathryn Watterson, for excerpts from her book I Hear My People Singing.