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Jesse Jackson Jr. expressed frustration with former Presidents Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Bill Clinton for choosing to criticize Donald Trump during his father’s memorial service, contending that their remarks diverged from the true essence of the civil rights leader’s legacy.
During a private gathering in Chicago, Jackson Jr. emphasized that the former presidents who spoke at the eulogy did not truly understand Jesse Jackson, instead interpreting his father’s life through a political viewpoint that didn’t align with his beliefs.
“Yesterday, I listened for several hours to three U.S. presidents who are not acquainted with Jesse Jackson,” he remarked at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters.
He elaborated, “My father often navigated a complex relationship with the political system, not due to racial dynamics, but because of the necessity to voice the struggles of the marginalized—the disenfranchised, the ignored. He sought solutions that transcended party lines, maintaining an unwavering, prophetic voice that never compromised the integrity of our community.”
Jackson Jr. concluded, “This speaks volumes about the essence of Rev. Jesse Jackson.”
Rev. Jackson died at 84 last month at his Chicago home after a long struggle with neurological illness.
Jackson was a towering figure in American civil rights who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., mounted two historic presidential campaigns and built one of the nation’s most influential social justice organizations.
At Friday’s memorial service at House of Hope, former President Barack Obama warned mourners about what he described as the nation’s fragile political climate.
Jesse Jackson Jr. criticized former presidents for bringing contemporary politics into memorial services for his father, Rev. Jesse Jackson
Barack Obama said, ‘Each day we wake up to some new assault on our democratic institutions’ during his eulogy. Obama also said Americans are being told ‘to fear each other and to turn on each other’
Joe Biden said the Trump administration does not share ‘any of the values that we have’
‘Each day we wake up to some new assault on our democratic institutions,’ Obama said. ‘Another setback to the idea of the rule of law, an offense to common decency, everyday you wake up to things you just didn’t think were possible.’
He added: ‘Each day, we’re told by those in high office to fear each other and to turn on each other, and that some Americans count more than others, and that some don’t even count at all.’
‘Everywhere we see greed and bigotry being celebrated and bullying and mockery masquerading as strength,’ Obama said. ‘It’s hard to hope in those moments.’
Former President Joe Biden also drew political lines, telling the crowd the Trump administration does not share ‘any of the values that we have.’
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost the 2024 election to Trump, referenced her campaign warnings.
‘I’m not into saying I told you so, but we did see it coming,’ Harris said. ‘But what I did not predict is that we would not have Jesse Jackson with us right now to help us get through this.’
Former President Bill Clinton kept his remarks largely personal, remembering Jackson as a friend and reflecting on their conversations during his impeachment fight.
President Trump did not attend the memorial.
Bill Clinton largely avoided politics and reflected on his friendship with Jackson
Former Vice President Kamala Harris said, ‘I’m not into saying I told you so, but we did see it coming,’ referring to Trump
Reverend Jesse Jackson speaks at a rally outside the New York Stock Exchange in New York, December 10, 2007
The son of Reverend Jesse Jackson, Jesse Jackson Jr. speaks during the Public Homegoing Service for his father in the House of Hope in Chicago on Friday
The casket with the Rev. Jesse Jackson arrives for the Public Homegoing Service at the House of Hope in Chicago, Friday
Jackson Jr.’s criticism was especially pointed because he had publicly pleaded for politics to be left outside the memorial.
‘Do not bring your politics out of respect to Rev. Jesse Jackson, and the life that he lived, to these ongoing services,’ he said during February press conference following his father’s death. ‘Come respectful, and come to say thank you.’
‘But these ongoing services are welcome to ALL – Democrat, Republican, liberal, and conservative. Right-wing, left-wing. Because his life is broad enough to cover the full spectrum of what it means to be an American.’
The funeral brought together a cross-section of political power and public life.
Among those paying respects were Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rev. Al Sharpton and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Inside the packed church, mourners celebrated Jackson’s legacy as a ‘living bridge’ between the civil rights era and modern political activism. A large panel displayed his rallying cry: ‘Keep hope alive.’
Jackson’s impact stretched from Selma to presidential politics.
He marched with Martin Luther King Jr., was present when King was assassinated in Memphis, and later became the first black candidate to win multiple primary contests in a major party presidential race in 1984 and 1988.
Through the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, he pressed corporations and governments on diversity and economic justice. As a diplomatic envoy, he helped secure the release of American prisoners overseas.
Tyler Perry attends the Public Homegoing Service for Rev. Jesse Jackson at the House of Hope in Chicago on Friday
Cornel West attends a memorial service to celebrate the life of the civil rights leader, Reverend Jesse Jackson, in Chicago, on March 6
California Governor Gavin Newsom greets attendees during the Public Homecoming and celebration of life for civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson in Chicago, Illinois, on Friday
In his final years, illness slowed him but did not silence him. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017, he later battled progressive supranuclear palsy.
Family members said he continued coming into the office until last year, communicating through hand signals when speech failed.
His son Yusef Jackson reflected on his father’s faith-driven activism.
‘He lived a revolutionary Christian faith rooted in justice, nonviolence and the moral righteousness,’ Yusef said Friday.
‘He was deeply involved in the political struggles of his time, but his gift was that he could rise above them. It’s not about the left wing or the right wing. It takes two wings to fly. For him, the goal was always the moral center.’