{"id":1955,"date":"2026-03-07T10:16:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T10:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/1955\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T10:16:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T10:16:11","slug":"ex-presidents-attend-rev-jesse-jackson-funeral-in-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/1955\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-presidents attend Rev. Jesse Jackson funeral in Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"

A crescendo of voices from the worlds of religion, politics, business, sports and entertainment converged Friday at the South Side\u2019s House of Hope, providing a requiem to the vast reach of the leadership, inspiration and teachings that made the Rev. Jesse Jackson<\/a> a national civil rights icon.<\/p>\n

More than 1,000 people attended the public celebration of life ceremony for Jackson, including former Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, who were accompanied by former first ladies Jill Biden and Hillary Rodham Clinton, as well as Gov. JB Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas and Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts.<\/p>\n

Watch live: Rev. Jesse Jackson\u2019s homegoing service in Chicago<\/a><\/p>\n

Award-winning singer and actress Jennifer Hudson performed \u201cA Change Is Gonna Come\u201d and gospel singers Benjamin \u201cBebe\u201d Winans and his older brother, Marvin Winans, contributed to the daylong music-filled event.<\/p>\n

Jackson, a Baptist minister whose charismatic rhetoric made him a key leader in the nation\u2019s Civil Rights Movement for more than six decades \u2014 picking up the baton of civil justice and equality left by the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. \u2014 as well as a two-time contender for the Democratic nomination for president, died Feb. 17<\/a> at age 84.<\/p>\n

A private homegoing service, set to include a special musical tribute by Stevie Wonder, will conclude the memorials for Jackson on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Religion and politics often mixed throughout the ceremony with speakers frequently citing Jackson\u2019s mantras of \u201cI am somebody\u201d and \u201cKeep hope alive\u201d as a counterbalance to the turbulent, divided political times under President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

\"JenniferJennifer Hudson sings at the homegoing service for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at House of Hope in Chicago on March 6, 2026. (Terrence Antonio James\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

Obama, who rose from a community organizer to the state legislature and U.S. Senate before becoming the nation\u2019s first Black president, credited Jackson\u2019s first run for the presidency and Harold Washington\u2019s election as Chicago\u2019s first Black mayor with drawing him to Chicago.<\/p>\n

But Obama said Jackson\u2019s legacy of hope is needed now more than ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach day we wake up to some new assault on our democratic institutions, another setback to the idea of the rule of law, an offense to common decency,\u201d Obama said, adding that \u201cwe\u2019re 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\u2019t even count at all.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverywhere we see greed and bigotry being celebrated and bullying and mockery masquerading as strength, we see science and expertise denigrated while ignorance and dishonesty and cruelty and corruption are reaping untold rewards. Every single day, we see that, and it\u2019s hard to hope in those moments,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it may be tempting to get discouraged, to give in to cynicism,\u201d Obama said. \u201cIt may be tempting for some to compromise with power and grab what you can, or even for good people, maybe just put your head down and wait for the storm to pass. But this man, Rev. Jesse Lewis Jackson, inspires us to take a harder path. His voice calls on each of us to be heralds of change, to be messengers of hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clinton recounted a phone call he received from Jackson in the midst of the 1998 impeachment proceedings against him, asking to speak with his daughter, Chelsea, who was then around 18.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe called me to talk to my daughter to make sure she had her head in the game, and he prayed with her on the phone,\u201d Clinton said, adding, \u201cthose are the things you remember.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was faithful to the scripture, which said we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But unlike a lot of people in politics, he didn\u2019t go around looking down his nose at other people,\u201d Clinton said. \u201cHe hated the sin and not the sinner. He was always trying to lift people up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SeatedSeated from left are former Vice President Kamala Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Bill Clinton, former President Barack Obama, former first lady Jill Biden and former President Joe Biden at the service for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at House of Hope in Chicago on March 6, 2026. (Terrence Antonio James\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

And Biden called Jackson \u201can optimist at his core.\u201d But he warned \u201cwe\u2019re in a tough spot, folks. We\u2019ve got an administration that doesn\u2019t share any values that we have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJesse kept hope alive for us in his lifetime, and we\u2019ve got to continue to do it in our lifetime, for our children,\u201d Biden said.<\/p>\n

The Rev. Otis Moss III of the South Side\u2019s Trinity United Church of Christ called Jackson a \u201cSon of the South, practitioner of good trouble and acolyte of holy mischief\u201d who was a \u201cspiritual artist who painted upon the canvas of democracy with a rainbow coalition of colors that had been marginalized by antebellum myths that dismissed human dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMay we honor him by daring to keep hope alive? May we honor him by daring to speak truth to power? May we honor him by daring to call out corruption, moral malfeasance, political narcissism, autocratic action, authoritarian behavior and cult-like oligarch spirits masquerading as civic duty?\u201d Moss said. \u201cWe offer these prayers of farewell this day and all those who gather in this space, who seek to keep hope alive and know you are somebody may say, \u2018Amen.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson delivered a rousing sermon-like tribute that recounted a visit he made with Jackson to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, the site of violent police action against peaceful protesters in 1965 seeking voting rights. He said Jackson understood the bridge was a metaphor for \u201cwhat\u2019s waiting for us on the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are in the midst of a choice to choose hope over despair, light over darkness, love over hate, because he knew there was too much to gain on the other side of the bridge,\u201d Johnson said, blending his tribute to Jackson with his own political agenda items.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the other side of the bridge, affordable housing as a human right. On the other side of the bridge, health care for all. On the other side of the bridge, safe and affordable cities, accessible transportation, finally, fully funding our public education system,\u201d he said as the crowd jumped to its feet. \u201cIt is time to cross the bridge, to build an economy that works for all, Black, brown, white, Asian, young, old. It is time for the ultra rich to pay their fair share in taxes. \u2026 Reverend, you cross your bridge. We know our assignment. We\u2019ll see you on the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Family of Rev. Jesse Jackson honors legacy of civil rights icon<\/a><\/p>\n

Pritzker said that for Jackson, \u201ceach day, each day, was a new opportunity to bring justice in a too often unjust world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow to the world, Jesse Jackson was an ambassador of hope for the oppressed, who met with kings and queens and presidents and dictators and clergy of all the great religions, but here in Chicago, he was our neighbor. He was our friend,\u201d the state\u2019s two-term Democratic governor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was politically connected. He knew he shared an affliction common to all those in this room. He loved the political game all the way to the end, and while we know that we shared him with the whole world, Rev. Jackson belonged to Chicago, and Chicago belonged to him. He was ours and we were his,\u201d Pritzker said.<\/p>\n

The Rev. Al Sharpton urged attendees not to be content with honoring Jackson\u2019s accomplishments when \u201cpeople at the same time are killing illegal immigrants. People at the same time are cutting public funding. At the same time, the Affordable Care Act is not being renewed, and seniors have to deal with premiums. Don\u2019t sit here so holy and sanctified and act like you have no assignment yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ChicagoChicago Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the homegoing service for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at House of Hope on March 6, 2026. (Terrence Antonio James\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a breakout in 2024 called Negro amnesia, where you forgot where you came from and forgot how you got where you got. Therefore they\u2019re trying to take back everything you have \u2026 The problem is not Trump. The problem is us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are allowing ourselves to be lowered and our children to feel inferior, because you don\u2019t have an, \u2018I am somebody\u2019 person,\u201d Sharpton said. \u201cSo what I\u2019m urging you to do is leave here with some Jackson fire in you. Not just a program book, but to say, \u2018I see the things the way they are, but I\u2019m going to turn and change them.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Also in attendance was former Vice President Kamala Harris, the unsuccessful 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, as well as California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland, who, like Pritzker, are considered potential contenders for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.<\/p>\n

Actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry was also at the service, along with television\u2019s Judge Greg Mathis. Mr. T, who was wearing clothing displaying the American flag, said, \u201cI\u2019m here to honor the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the preacher\u2019s preacher.\u201d<\/p>\n

Donna David of Burnham said she woke up at 5:30 a.m. to attend the services. Usually part of the church\u2019s choir, she said she wanted to sit in the audience to take in the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father raised me under the mantra, \u2018I Am Somebody.\u2019 I carry that around in my spirit,\u201d she said. \u201cWe got enough of everything else out here, but we don\u2019t have enough love and togetherness. That\u2019s what he stood for.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PeoplePeople sing during the homegoing service for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at House of Hope on Chicago’s South Side on March 6, 2026. (Terrence Antonio James\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

Jackson was born and raised in South Carolina and it was during his attendance at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College in Greensboro that he launched his role in the growing Civil Rights Movement of the early 1960s when he helped lead local demonstrations and sit-ins with a goal of integrating public institutions.<\/p>\n

It was during his time at the Chicago Theological Seminary that Jackson organized students to take part in protests in Selma, where he met King, joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and became a King protege.<\/p>\n

In Chicago, he opened the SCLC\u2019s Operation Breadbasket with the aim of encouraging Black employment and entrepreneurship, using pickets and boycotts as negotiating tools.<\/p>\n

Jackson was diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s disease in 2017 and in April of last year, he was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurological disorder.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A crescendo of voices from the worlds of religion, politics, business, sports and entertainment converged Friday at the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1956,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[8,1963,1961,9,1960,7,1962],"class_list":{"0":"post-1955","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-house-of-hope-chicago","10":"tag-jesse-jackson","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-rev-jesse-jackson","13":"tag-top-stories","14":"tag-yusef-jackson"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@news\/116187377337421185","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}