Chicago honors life and legacy of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson

Memorial events honoring the life and legacy of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson begin this week in Chicago, likely drawing elected officials, advocates and community members to celebrate a man whose decades-long activism reshaped American politics and amplified Black communities and communities of color.

Jackson, who died last week at the age of 84, founded the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and was a leading advocate for voting rights and desegregation.

A close ally of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson rose to prominence as a young organizer in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He accompanied King in Memphis in 1968 to support striking African-American sanitation workers before the late civil rights leader was assassinated.

The memorial observances for Jackson will begin Thursday with a public viewing on the city's South Side. Next week, a musical tribute titled “The People’s Celebration,” featuring gospel choirs, will honor Jackson at the House of Hope, a Baptist church. A private homegoing celebration of life is set for March 7 at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters, where a growing memorial of flowers, cards, and miniature American flags has been placed since his passing. Clergy members and longtime allies are expected to share reflections on Jackson’s lasting influence.

An inspirational orator and longtime Chicagoan, Jackson ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker ordered flags to be flown half-staff the day of Jackson's passing, referring to him during a state address as "a giant who spent his life on the front lines of the Civil Rights movement."

Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson became one of the most recognizable Black political leaders of the late 20th century. He advocated for sanctions against apartheid in South Africa, negotiated the release of American hostages abroad and championed corporate accountability and minority business development at home.

Jackson built a political movement centered on economic justice and coalition-building across racial and class lines. His two presidential campaigns mobilized millions of new voters under the banner of the “Rainbow Coalition,” pushing the Democratic Party to address issues affecting working-class Americans, farmers and communities of color.

Jackson was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2017, before receiving a diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy in April 2025.

Local leaders say Chicago, where Jackson headquartered much of his work, will serve as the symbolic heart of the tributes. For many, the memorials mark the end of an era. But supporters say Jackson’s call to “keep hope alive,” a speech that became synonymous with his movement, remains a charge to continue the fight for equality and justice he spent a lifetime pursuing.

His death comes at a time when President Donald Trump's administration has targeted U.S. institutions, from museums to monuments to national parks, to remove what the president calls "anti-American" ideology, leading to the dismantling of slavery exhibits, the restoration of Confederate statues and other moves that civil rights advocates say could reverse decades of social progress.

Civil rights leaders have vowed to carry on Jackson's work in his memory.

"The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. was a legendary voice for the voiceless, powerful civil rights champion and trailblazer extraordinaire," said Hakeem Jeffries, top Democrat and House minority leader. "For decades, while laboring in the vineyards of the community, he inspired us to keep hope alive in the struggle for liberty and justice for all."

-Bianca Flowers in Chicago; Edited by Kat Stafford and Aurora Ellis/Reuters