Honoring a Legacy: Mourners and Leaders Gather in Chicago to Remember Civil Rights Leader Rev. Jesse Jackson

CHICAGO – Mourners gathered in Chicago to pay their respects as a series of memorial services honoring the late Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. commenced Thursday in his hometown.

Renowned as a protégé of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and a two-time presidential candidate, Jackson will have his body lie in repose for two days at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters. This tribute precedes additional services planned in Washington, D.C., and his birthplace in South Carolina.

As the casket was solemnly carried into the iconic brick building, family members were visibly emotional, brushing away tears. The sidewalks were adorned with flowers, and attendees watched a large screen displaying highlights of Jackson’s impactful speeches.

“The global outpouring of love and support has been overwhelming and profoundly moving,” the Jackson family expressed in a recent statement.

Jackson passed away last week at the age of 84, following a struggle with a rare neurological disorder that had impaired his mobility and speech in recent years.

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Many people are calling this a chance to be part of a historic moment to honor a man who helped to change the course of history.

Thousands from near and far lined up at Rainbow PUSH Headquarters in Kenwood to pay their final respects to its founder and late leader, the Reverend Jesse Jackson. He died last week at the age of 84 after battling a rare neurological disorder.

“He’s up there now and I know he’s looking down and saying ‘well done’ but we still have more to do more to keep marching for,” mourner Tracy Bradley said.

His journey as a civil rights leader began under the mentorship of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mourner Patricia Barbour, who grew up in North Carolina and during segregation, says she remembers watching Jackson’s fight for equality.

“He spent a lot of years for the struggle so we can vote, so we can have respect, not to be called out of name, and taught us that you. are somebody. And we are somebody,” Barbour said.

For decades, the two-time presidential nominee fought for social justice reform, creating generations of leaders who, today, paused not only to mourn but to remember a legacy they plan to keep alive.

“It’s super duper important that we are able to have a legacy for our kids , we just gonna have to make it happen,” mourner Dacia Dixon said. “Didn’t let anything stop him w him being sick. He still continued to be concerned about the movement. We just have to have that same drive.”

The late Reverend Jackson will continue to lie in repose through Friday night before his body is moved and later honored in his home state of South Carolina.

In the lines outside of Rainbow PUSH, people united in their appreciation to the work and life of Rev. Jesse Jackson.

‘Whenever there’s a need for my community in particular, he’s there,” Beverly Singleton said. “He’s the one who is bold enough to step up.”

“I feel a mandate to keep hope alive and to remind younger children even older folks we are somebody,” said Leah Burgess with Howard University, School of Divinity.

‘No matter the race, the color, he was just there for people,” Rosalyn McRay-Lester said.

Some honored his efforts for working people like Lisa Rock, who recalled Jackson fighting for fair wages in Ohio.

“He was a big presence in my home, and everyone in my town would say that,” Rock said.

“I know my father is smiling in heaven right now, beachside,” son Yusef Jackson said. “He loved talking about his work. It’s helped heal us and stay strong.”

Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, was among the ministers to offer prayers Thursday.

“We need to stand together in these moments to let people know that we are one and what human solidarity is all about,” Cupich said.

A number of dignitaries also stopped by PUSH headquarters Thursday to pay their respects, including Rev. Al Sharpton, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and a number of other elected officials.

Rev. Jackson Sr.’s impact was widespread, his work touching the lives of many and inspiring countless elected leaders through the years. They came to pay tribute to Rev. Jackson as they called for people to honor his legacy, by continuing his work.

In a testimony to Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson Sr., well over a thousand people stood in line for hours for the opportunity to honor his six decades of work on civil rights, increasing voter access, lifting up the forgotten.

Mayor Johnson joined Rev. Sharpton and other dignitaries who met with members of the Jackson family before the doors to PUSH Headquarters opened to the general public. ABC7 spoke one-on-one with Mayor Johnson about his reflections on the day.

“Well, first of all, we are grieving and mourning the loss of an incredible human being,” Johnson said. “Our prayers are with Mrs. Jackson, their children and grandchildren. But yet, we’re celebrating we’re celebrating a true humanitarian.”

“I became Reverend Jackson’s youth director when I was 13 for the New York chapel, we spent a lifetime together,” Rev. Sharpton said. “I’ve seen him stand up against adversity. I’ve seen him bring history.”

While Jackson lay in repose inside PUSH Headquarters, video screens replayed clips from some famous speeches the civil rights icon gave through the years.

“You know, when I was a little boy, he told me I was somebody,” Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry said. “I grew older, he told me to keep hope alive. For the last seven years, as I’ve served as commissioner, we got to partner on structural racism, disinvestment, but also voter registration.”

Jackson’s two presidential campaigns, in 1984 and 1988, led to a surge in voter registration and people from all walks of life joined his Rainbow Coalition.

“It’s beautiful to see so many people walking through this service, people of all different colors, all different types of folks, right?” Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said. “And, I think that it’s a testament to how many lives he touched.”

Leaders say one important way people can honor Jackson’s legacy is keep alive the hope he championed.

“As we battle in this moment for our humanity, it’s imperative that we don’t just honor him on this day, but that we live out the hope that he fought for, and whether that’s in government and politics or whether that’s in the corporations and everybody gets to play a part,” Johnson said.

Other well-know leaders attended the first day of honoring Rev. Jackson included former Congressman Bobby Rush, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Chicago Ald. Brendan Reilly, and former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his family.

The Jackson family says they are overwhelmed and overjoyed by the outpouring of support.

“We see this as a unique opportunity to lay down some of the political rhetoric and to lay down some of the division that deeply divides our country, and to reflect upon a man who brought people together,” Jesse Jackson Jr. said.

The full schedule of services is as follows:

Thursday, Feb. 26
Lying in State at Rainbow PUSH Coalition
Location: 930 E. 50th St., Chicago, IL 60615
Doors open: 10 a.m.