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CHICAGO (WLS) — Reverend Jesse Jackson, a towering figure in the civil rights movement, passed away on Tuesday at 84, succumbing to a rare neurodegenerative disorder.
To honor Jackson’s legacy, his family and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition have announced a revised schedule for memorial services that will take place in Chicago, South Carolina, and Washington, D.C.
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Jacqueline Jackson, his devoted wife of more than six decades, is overseeing the preparations for these commemorations.
“Since sharing the details of Reverend Jackson’s Homegoing service yesterday, we’ve received invitations from leaders in South Carolina and Washington, D.C., both of which held deep meaning for him,” a family statement expressed on Thursday. “They’ve graciously offered the unique honor of hosting formal services in South Carolina, his birthplace, and in the nation’s capital. These events will precede official services in Chicago, his cherished home, on March 6 and 7.”
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.
Friday, Feb. 27
Lying in State at Rainbow PUSH Coalition
Location: 930 E. 50th St., Chicago, IL 60615
Doors open: 10 a.m.
Sunday, March 1 through Thursday, March 5
Travel to and from South Carolina and Washington, D.C.
Further details to be announced.
Friday, March 6
The People’s Celebration at House of Hope
Location: 752 E. 114th St., Chicago, IL 60628
Doors open: 9 a.m.
Service: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday, March 7
Private Homegoing Celebration at Rainbow PUSH Coalition
Location: 930 E. 50th St., Chicago, IL 60615
Doors open: 8 a.m.
Service: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Limited capacity
Since news of his passing, the nation is remembering Jesse Jackson as a history maker whose tireless commitment to justice for all knew no bounds.
The civil rights icon advocated not just for people of color, but all who were marginalized, notably negotiating the release of three U.S. soldiers from Yugoslavia.
Before leading the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, he launched Operation Breadbasket in 1966 to address hunger in the basement of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Fuller Park to pressure companies to hire Black people. He took his charge from Dr. Martin Luther King.
Whether he was confronting racism or social injustice in the streets or boardrooms or creating political equity for people of color, Jesse Jackson was a force to reckoned with.
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