Updated March 6 with information about the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s celebration of life.

Speakers at the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s celebration of life in Chicago on Friday will certainly reflect on his civil rights, religious and political leadership. But one of Jackson’s most important legacies was raising awareness around the HIV/AIDS epidemic at a time when it was a taboo topic in political circles.

His advocacy began shortly after the disease emerged in the early 1980s. Jackson, who died Feb. 17 at age 84, led a push for more funding for research on prevention and treatment.

Jesse Jackson Was An HIV/AIDS-Advocacy Pioneer

Health officials became aware in 1981 of a then-mysterious disease that was affecting young and previously healthy gay men in the U.S. This was after a constellation of cases involving severely immunodeficient men were reported to the agency in 1981 by hospitals in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. In 1982, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first used the term AIDS, an abbreviation for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Several years later, scientists named the pathogen that causes AIDS the human immunodeficiency virus.

Jackson was one of the first black clergy to get publicly tested for HIV. This in turn shed light on the disease, especially in the African American community. He was also among the earliest public figures to urge his fellow clergy and others to actively get involved in responding to HIV and AIDS in the United States and internationally.

Through his Rainbow Coalition of historically marginalized groups, Jackson pushed for greater awareness, sensitivity and research around the disease. He tied his messaging on HIV/AIDS to a broader appeal for the need to recognize the lesbian and gay community as part of a coalition of the disenfranchised.

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“The Rainbow includes lesbians and gays," Jackson said in a speech given at the 1984 Democratic National Convention. "No American citizen ought to be denied equal protection from the law.”

And in a memorable speech at the DNC in 1988, Jackson called upon the country to “see” people with AIDS, acknowledge their suffering and lay the groundwork for a brighter future with effective treatments.

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Other Politicians Took Years To Follow Jackson’s Lead On HIV/AIDS Advocacy

It took U.S. leaders like former President Ronald Reagan years to even mention the disease or gay people in public. Reagan didn’t publicly acknowledge AIDS until 1985. Nor did he give a national address on the crisis until 1987. He oversaw the U.S. response to the emergence of the HIV/AIDS during his two terms in office as president from 1981 to 1989. His actions, or lack thereof, have long been a subject of controversy and criticized by HIV/AIDS advocacy organizations.

Toward the end of Reagan’s time in office, the Food and Drug Administration approved zidovudine in 1987. It was the first antiretroviral drug used to treat HIV. It would take until the mid 1990s for much more effective highly active antiretroviral therapies to be granted marketing authorization. The revolutionary HAART treatments boosted the life expectancy of someone with HIV by at least 15 years. In many instances, people on antiretroviral therapies have normal lifespans. Moreover, treatments have improved since then to include the emergence of preexposure prophylaxis in the 2010s, which can protect people from contracting the virus.

Jackson’s pioneering vocal advocacy contributed to a shift in both behavior and attitudes toward HIV/AIDS. By highlighting the plight of patients and their need for recognition and compassion, he helped chart a course of action that would lead to improved prevention and treatments.

© Forbes