CHICAGO, Ill. — National leaders, civil rights advocates, clergy and community members gathered in Chicago March 6–7 to celebrate the life and legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson, the influential civil rights leader and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition whose decades of activism reshaped American politics and expanded opportunities for Black Americans.
Jackson was honored with a public ‘People’s Celebration’ on Friday at the House of Hope, followed by a more intimate service Saturday at Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters. The weekend of memorial events concluded with a private burial at Oak Woods Cemetery.
Former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton were among the national figures who delivered tributes during the services. Former Vice President Kamala Harris, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Rev. Al Sharpton and other faith and civic leaders also attended.
The gatherings featured powerful musical tributes, including a performance of Sam Cooke’s civil rights anthem ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ by Chicago native Jennifer Hudson, as well as performances by Bebe Winans and other gospel artists.
Jackson, who died Feb. 17 at age 84 after years of health challenges linked to a neurological disorder, worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement and later became a national political force through his advocacy for voting rights, economic justice and expanded political participation.
Obama reflected on Jackson’s influence on American politics, particularly his historic presidential campaigns in the 1980s, which helped reshape the Democratic Party and opened doors for future candidates.
“He paved the road for so many others to follow,” Obama said, while urging Americans to carry forward Jackson’s commitment to justice and democratic participation.
Biden also noted that while he and Jackson occasionally disagreed over policy, he admired Jackson’s unwavering passion and dedication to civil rights.
“Sometimes we went toe-to-toe,” Biden said. “But that passion for justice never changed.”
Clinton described Jackson as both a powerful public voice and a trusted personal friend, praising his ability to bring people together in pursuit of common goals.
“I’m here more as a friend than a former president,” Clinton said. “He was my friend when I needed him.”
During Saturday’s service, Jesse Jackson, Jr., the former Illinois congressman and Jackson’s son, reflected on his father’s long history of challenging political power while remaining committed to speaking for those often left out of national conversations.
“He maintained a tense relationship with the political order, not because the presidents were White or Black, but the demands of our message, the demands of speaking for the least of these (those who are disinherited, the damned, the dispossessed, the disrespected) demanded not Democratic or Republican solutions, but demanded a consistent, prophetic voice that at no point in time sold us out as a people,” Jackson, Jr. said.
Jackson founded the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and spent more than five decades advocating for civil rights, economic opportunity and social justice. His 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns helped expand minority participation in American politics and influenced reforms in how the Democratic Party selects its nominees.
Speakers throughout the weekend emphasized that Jackson’s legacy extends beyond his political achievements to the generations of leaders he inspired.
Rev. Al Sharpton, who worked closely with Jackson, described him as a movement leader whose voice helped shape modern civil rights activism.
“Faith without action is just noise,” Sharpton said. “Rev. Jackson reminded us that justice is daily work.”
Following the final service Saturday afternoon, Jackson’s casket was carried from the Rainbow PUSH headquarters as mourners lined the streets before the procession to Oak Woods Cemetery.
For many who attended the services, the tributes were both a farewell and a call to continue the work Jackson spent his life advancing.
As one speaker noted during the memorial, Jackson’s enduring message “to keep hope alive” remains as urgent today as ever.
