Isiah Thomas calls Harris and President Clinton at Jackson’s funeral
Isiah Thomas referred to Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton as presidents during his remarks at Jesse Jackson’s funeral in Chicago.
On Friday, March 6, thousands of mourners paid their respects to the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a civil rights icon who passed away last month at the age of 84.
Among those who attended the public homecoming celebration Friday at Chicago’s House of Hope was Chicago native and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, who spoke at the ceremony.
In his speech, Thomas acknowledged that “five presidents” were in attendance.
“I also want to pay tribute to the five presidents sitting here today: President (Kamala) Harris, President (Hillary) Clinton, President Bill Clinton, First Lady Jill Biden, President Biden, and President Barack Obama on Chicago’s South Side,” Thomas said to loud applause.
Hillary Clinton and Harris, who were also among the speakers, each lost their presidential elections to current President Donald Trump.
Thomas also praised Jackson as an inspiration throughout his life, adding that fellow civil rights leaders Medgar Evers and Martin Luther King Jr. were Jackson’s heroes.
“When society told me I was nothing, when society said I didn’t want to go to school with you, this man walked up to me and my mom…and he did the unthinkable,” Thomas said, fighting back tears. “Mama Jackson, your husband knelt down and looked me in the eye, and he said, ‘Who are you?'”
