Praise for civil rights icon Jesse Jackson sparks a flood of responses
Reactions are pouring in from across the country to honor civil rights icon Jesse Jackson, who has passed away at the age of 84.
CHICAGO – Mourners will gather to remember the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, an icon of the civil rights movement.
Jackson’s family revealed preliminary funeral plans on February 18 for the longtime activist, who died at the age of 84 after a long battle with progressive supranuclear palsy. This rare disease causes symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease, but its progression is accelerated.
The towering civil rights icon fought alongside Martin Luther King Jr., negotiated the release of hostages worldwide, and shamed corporations for their lack of diversity and support for voting rights. Jackson founded what eventually became the Rainbow/Push Coalition and became the Democratic presidential candidate in 1984 and 1988, energizing and registering millions of black voters.
As tributes pour in for Jackson and his family, the nation prepares to commemorate his tremendous legacy of activism. Here’s what we know about funeral plans and public ceremonies in the coming days.
What we know about Jackson’s funeral
Speaking in Chicago on February 18, Jackson’s family announced that services in his honor would begin “in earnest” next week. Jackson will be laid to rest at the Rainbow Push Coalition headquarters in Chicago, and a memorial service will be held at a nearby church, but details have not yet been determined.
The final celebration of his life is scheduled to be held at the Federation’s headquarters.
“Everyone is welcome.”
Jackson’s family said everyone is invited to gather in his memory.
“We will do our best to accommodate everyone,” Jackson’s son, Jesse Jackson Jr., said on February 18.
“Please be respectful and come say thank you, but these homecoming services are open to everyone, Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative, right-wing, left-wing, because his life is broad enough to cover all of what it means to be an American,” Jackson said.
He continued that the family will post additional details and logistics regarding all services at JesseJacksonlegacy.com.
Why Chicago?
Jackson was born in Greenville, South Carolina in 1941, but the Windy City has always been his second home. At the time of his death, he lived on Chicago’s South Shore and served as a local leader in civil rights efforts for decades.
Jackson attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign until his sophomore year, then transferred to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University in Greensboro. After college, Jackson moved to Chicago in 1964 to attend Chicago Theological Seminary.
According to Stanford University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Institute for Research and Education, he organized a group of friends to drive from Chicago to Selma, Alabama, to participate in Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1965 suffrage campaign. He then helped Dr. King launch the Chicago Movement of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which was named “Operation Breadbasket.” Jackson led the Chicago chapter after King’s assassination, leading boycotts and protests in the city to protect equal economic opportunity until he formed PUSH in 1971 and later formed the Rainbow Coalition. He then ran for president twice.
Chicago has remained the home of Jackson’s local and national activist career, and has been the site of multiple efforts spearheaded by activists to call out corporations and governments for their diversity failures.
Chicago residents have already expressed their grief for Mr. Jackson and rushed to support his family. Flowers, notes and other tributes appeared at Confederate headquarters, and mourners across the country also expressed support for Jackson and his family.
