MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- County Executive David Crowley ordered flags at Milwaukee County facilities to be flown at half-staff through Saturday, Feb. 28, in honor of civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died Tuesday, Feb. 17.

The order was announced in a release on Thursday, Feb. 26.

"Reverend Jesse Jackson was a civil rights icon and champion of progress. Whether we're talking about his steadfast dedication to protecting voting rights, expanding economic and educational opportunities, or fighting for the freedoms of people everywhere, Reverend Jackson truly changed our nation for the better," Crowley said.

"I grew up in a country and world shaped by Reverend Jackson's courage. Without the marches he led, the doors he opened, and the tenacity he led with, Black leaders like me would not be where we are today."

Jackson worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement and went on to found the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. He ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988.