“All are welcome” for services which are expected next week for Rev. Jesse Jackson, a Chicago icon known for his work as a civil rights leader, who “died peacefully” at age 84, his family said during a morning press conference.
Regarded as Martin Luther King Jr.’s protege, Jackson worked tirelessly throughout the Civil Rights movement and after to champion rights for Black people. He started the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the famed Chicago-based multiracial nonprofit, in 1970, and it continues to fight for social change, economic equality and civil rights. In the 1980s, Jackson ran the first viable presidential campaign by a Black candidate in the U.S.
In the wake of his death, leaders around the world and Chicago residents have shared messages of support for the family, remembering Jackson for his years of activism while mourning his loss.
How did he die?
While the family has not officially given a cause of death, or said where he died, Jackson had been declining in health for a decade before his passing. In 2015, Jackson was initially diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, but he revealed last April that it was actually progressive supranuclear palsy.
What services have been scheduled?
Details on the services — part of which will be held at Rainbow PUSH headquarters — are expected by late Wednesday. Relatives of Jackson added that “all are welcome” regardless of political party,
Family is still deciding on a church, which will have to be large enough to accommodate everyone, relatives said.
How is the political world reacting to his death?
Political figures from across the country have weighed in to share their respects and honor his legacy.
In a joint statement, former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama wrote, “Michelle and I will always be grateful for Jesse’s lifetime of service, and the friendship our families share. We stood on his shoulders. We send our deepest condolences to the Jackson family and everyone in Chicago and beyond who knew and loved him.”
President Donald Trump also extended his sympathies to Jackson’s family in a statement posted to Truth Social on Tuesday.
“I knew him well, long before becoming President,” he said… “He was very gregarious – Some who truly loved people! Despite the fact that I am falsely and consistently called a Racist by the Scoundrels and Lunatics on the Radical Left, Democrats ALL, it was always my pleasure to help Jesse along the way.”
Chicago leaders including Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor J.B. Pritzker also shared their condolences.
“In honor of Rev. Jackson’s service, and as our city mourns, the Chicago flag will lower to half-staff,” Mayor Johnson wrote in a statement.
Pritzker also ordered all flags across the state to fly at half-mast to honor him in a statement posted on social media.
“He broke down barriers, inspired generations, and kept hope alive. Our state, nation, and world are better due to his years of service,” Pritzker said.
How are Chicago residents reacting to his death?
Across the city, Chicago residents mourned Jackson’s passing and urge for his legacy to live on.
Martin Travis, a congregant at Apostolic Church of God in Woodlawn, said in his youth, his parents brought him to demonstrations organized by Operation Breadbasket, a group Jackson led.
Now, 64, Travis remembers Jackson as “instrumental in fighting for justice and freedom for all people.”
Chloe Gould, 41, a Bronzeville resident, said that his death still hit “like you lost a family member.”
In the wake of his death, she said she worries for the future of civil rights activism, as activists and leaders have not stepped in to fill his shoes.
“Who is gonna be the civil rights activist now?” she said.
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