CHICAGO — A steady stream of mourners passed through a Chicago auditorium Thursday to pay final respects to the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., as cross-country memorial events began in the city the civil rights leader called home.
Jackson, a protégé of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a two-time presidential candidate, will lie in repose for two days at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters before services in Washington, D.C., and South Carolina, where he grew up. Family members wiped away tears as the casket was brought into the stately brick building. Flowers lined the sidewalks and a large screen outside played excerpts of Jackson’s speeches; some waiting to enter raised fists in solidarity.
Inside the auditorium, Jackson’s children, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Rev. Al Sharpton stood by the open casket, greeting mourners who came to view Jackson dressed in a suit, blue shirt and tie. “The challenge for us is that we’ve got to make sure that all he lived for was not in vain,” Sharpton told reporters. “Dr. King’s dream and Jesse Jackson’s mission now falls on our shoulders. We’ve got to stand up and keep it going.”
Jackson died last week at age 84 after battling a rare neurological disorder that affected his mobility and ability to speak in later years. Tributes have poured in worldwide; several U.S. states including Minnesota, Iowa and North Carolina have ordered flags at half-staff.
The loss was felt especially keenly in Chicago, where Jackson lived for decades and raised six children, including a son who serves in Congress. Bouquets have accumulated outside the family’s South Side home. Public schools have posted condolences, and city trains used digital screens to display Jackson’s portrait and his rallying mantra, “I am Somebody!”
Jackson’s causes spanned domestic and international issues: advocating for the poor and underrepresented on voting rights, jobs, education and health care; winning diplomatic interventions abroad; and using the Rainbow PUSH Coalition to press corporations and institutions to expand opportunities for Black Americans, channeling calls for pride and self-determination into boardrooms and policy discussions.
“We honor him, and his hard-earned legacy as a freedom fighter, philosopher, and faithful shepherd of his family and community here in Chicago,” Mayor Johnson said in a statement.
Next week, Jackson will lie in honor at the South Carolina Statehouse, followed by public events there. Rainbow PUSH’s agenda lists Gov. Henry McMaster as expected to speak, though his office said Thursday that his participation had not been confirmed. Details of Washington services have not been released; a request for Jackson to lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol rotunda was denied by House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office.
Two weeks of events will conclude with a large celebration of life at a Chicago megachurch and homegoing services at Rainbow PUSH headquarters. Family members said all services will be open to the public. “Our family is overwhelmed and overjoyed by the amazing amount of support being offered by common, ordinary people who our father’s life has come into contact with,” eldest son Jesse Jackson Jr. said. “This is a unique opportunity to lay down some of the political rhetoric and … reflect upon a man who brought people together.”
Services included prayers from some of the city’s most prominent religious leaders, including Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich. Mourners ranged from toddlers in strollers to elderly people in wheelchairs. Video clips of Jackson’s news conferences, campaign appearances and even a “Sesame Street” segment played inside the auditorium.
Chicago retiree Claudette Redic, whose family benefited from a scholarship program Jackson championed, spoke for many when she said, “We have generations of support. I’m hoping we continue.”
