At the veteran civil rights activist’s memorial service on Friday, the Rev. Jesse Jackson was remembered as an “advocate” for the “poor and dispossessed” as well as “one of the most effective community and political organizers of our time.”
Such tributes came from former Democratic US presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden, along with former Vice President Kamala Harris, who received cheers and applause as they joined thousands of people at a Chicago church for a celebration of Jackson’s life.
Outside the church on Chicago’s South Side, crowds formed long lines as television screens showed highlights of some of the best-known speeches given by Jackson, who spent more than half a century in public life and mounted a strong campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988.
Vendors at the site were selling hoodies with their slogan, “I Am Somebody.”
Obama was greeted with a standing ovation as he took the stage to praise Jackson, whom he compared to the prophet Isaiah in his remarks.
Jackson, Obama commented, was “a man who, when the poor and dispossessed needed an advocate and the country needed healing, stepped forward again and again and said, ‘send me.’”
Obama added that Jackson’s first presidential campaign inspired him and drew him to Chicago, the city they both called home.
“In his ideas and his platform, in his analysis, in his intelligence, in his insight, Jesse not only stood his ground,” Obama said. “He owned that stage.”
Two decades after Jackson’s second presidential campaign, Obama became the first black president of the United States. He credited Jackson for helping make that milestone achievable.
Jackson “was not an interloper, he was not a suitor,” Obama said. “He belonged on that stage. And the message he sent, to a 22-year-old son of a single mother with a funny name, an outsider, was that there was no place, no room, where we didn’t belong.”
Meanwhile, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker described Jackson as “an ambassador of hope for the oppressed, who met with kings, queens, presidents, dictators and clerics of all the great religions.
“But here in Chicago, he was our neighbor. He was our friend. We were very proud. We are very proud.”
Biden expressed his deep admiration for Jackson in his speech, describing him as “underrated, unflappable and fearless.”
“We had very different backgrounds and, in some cases, different views, but never about race,” Biden said. “Sometimes we were face to face and we disagreed on certain issues. But that’s what I admired most about Jesse, his passion. The courage of his convictions.”
Biden also criticized Donald Trump’s administration, saying its values run counter to those of the people gathered at the service. “We’re in a tough spot, folks,” Biden said. “We have an administration that does not share any of the values we have.
“And I don’t think I’m exaggerating one bit.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton, who often referred to Jackson as his mentor, echoed Biden’s sentiments about the Trump administration.
“We are on the brink of rescinding some of the most serious rebuilding behavior we have seen in modern times,” said Sharpton, who shared a decades-long close friendship with Jackson. “Leaving here and not following a task would not be what Jesse Jackson taught us.”
The civil rights activist also said that – simultaneously with the memorial – those in power were “killing illegal immigrants” while harming Americans by cutting the Affordable Care Act.
“We won’t be back!” Sharpton said, before his speech concluded with applause. “We won’t be back!”
Harris opened her remarks by saying, “Let me tell you, I predicted a lot about what’s happening right now,” referring to her failed White House bid against Trump.
“I don’t like to say ‘I told you so,’ but we saw it coming. But what I didn’t predict is that we wouldn’t have Jesse Jackson with us right now to help us get through this.”
Harris praised Jackson as “a strategist,” adding: “He didn’t waste time waiting, even when the doors in front of him were barred and bolted, even if those on the other side hesitated or even ignored him. He always figured a way out.”
“He was one of the most effective community organizers and politicians of our time. And he was the founder – I think most would agree – the founder of the modern progressive coalition.”
Jackson, 84, died Feb. 17 after battling a rare neurological disorder that affected his mobility and speech. Family members said he continued to come to the office until late 2025 and used hand signals to communicate.
His last public appearances included the 2024 Democratic national convention in Chicago.
For decades, Jackson’s activism took him around the world as he spoke out for marginalized communities.
Their efforts addressed issues such as voting rights, access to health care, employment opportunities, and education. Among other accomplishments, he pushed corporate executives to expand opportunity and equity in American society.
“I was a trailblazer, a trailblazer,” Jackson said in a May 2020 interview with The Guardian. “I had to deal with doubts, cynicism and fears about a black person running (for president). There were black academics writing articles about why I was wasting my time. Even black people said a black man couldn’t win.”
Plans for a memorial event in Washington, DC, were postponed after US House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected a proposal to have Jackson lie in honor in the Capitol rotunda. Jackson argued that space is typically reserved for a limited group of officials, including former presidents.
No further details regarding a future ceremony have been announced.
The Associated Press contributed reporting
