Jesse Jackson Jr joins family tributes as funeral events span two days
Saturday at 10: 00 a. m. ET, jesse jackson jr was among family members who spoke as hundreds gathered at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters in Kenwood to honor Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. The next steps after the two days of public events are clear in part—Jackson was later laid to rest at Oak Woods Cemetery—yet the full list of speakers and complete remarks from each service remained incomplete in the available accounts as of 3: 30 p. m. ET.
Jesse Jackson Jr speaks as Rainbow PUSH headquarters fills for Saturday service
Hundreds filled the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters to capacity Saturday for a 10: 00 a. m. ET funeral service for Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., with mourners lining up by 7: 00 a. m. ET to enter the building. The service lasted until after 2: 00 p. m. ET, and it included remembrances of Jackson’s work as a civil rights leader and his presence as a Jackson Park Highlands neighbor.
jesse jackson jr reflected during the service on two personal subjects: when his father visited him in prison, and the experience of sharing the same name. The article account of his remarks was not complete, and an excerpt from a statement attributed to daughter Ashley Jackson appeared cut off in the provided text, unconfirmed as of 3: 30 p. m. ET.
Still, the Saturday program placed a heavy focus on Jackson’s children, who “held the audience’s attention” with more than an hour of speeches honoring their father. Those family tributes included comments and participation from Yusef Jackson, U. S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson, Dr. Jacqueline Jackson II, and Santita Jackson, who also led the congregation in song, including “To God Be the Glory. ”
Rev. Jesse Jackson funeral events draw presidents, elected officials, and international leaders
Friday’s five-hour public homegoing service at the House of Hope on Chicago’s Far South Side brought together former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden, along with former Vice President Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, and Jill Biden, plus thousands of attendees. The event took place at House of Hope, 752 E. 114th, described as a 10, 000-seat facility in the Pullman neighborhood.
Obama spoke about the country’s divisive climate under the Trump administration and urged Americans to become “heralds of change, ” while noting what he described as assaults on democratic institutions, setbacks to the rule of law, and efforts to encourage Americans to fear and turn on each other. Biden told the gathering that Jackson was “underrated, undeterred and unafraid, ” and said they sometimes disagreed but “never on race. ” Jennifer Hudson performed “A Change Gonna Come, ” and the celebration included gospel music.
Saturday’s service followed that Friday memorial and drew additional public figures, including Mayor Brandon Johnson, Rev. Al Sharpton, and international leaders such as South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Democratic Republic of the Congo President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo. Celebrities listed among attendees included Mr. T, Jussie Smollett, Chris Tucker, and Sheryl Lee Ralph. Stevie Wonder performed two songs and also spoke, ending with a performance of his 1976 hit “As. ”
Ramaphosa praised Jackson during the Saturday service, saying, “Not only did he march in the streets, he walked into the corridors of power. He opened doors, ” and added that when doors were closed, “he kicked them down. ”
Oak Woods Cemetery burial is confirmed; remaining details depend on full service records
Jackson died Feb. 17 at the age of 84, and the weekend’s events concluded with his burial at Oak Woods Cemetery in Woodlawn. As the Saturday services concluded, his casket was carried out the front steps of Rainbow PUSH headquarters, and Yusef Jackson was described as breaking down as the remains arrived in the hearse, with Sharpton comforting him as supporters watched and said their goodbyes.
Yet several details that would clarify the complete public record are not fully available from the provided accounts, unconfirmed as of 3: 30 p. m. ET. Those include the full, verbatim text of each child’s remarks, the complete program order for the Saturday service, and the missing portion of the excerpt attributed to Ashley Jackson.
The next observable trigger for closing those gaps is the release of complete service programs, transcripts, or official recordings from the House of Hope homegoing service and the Rainbow PUSH headquarters funeral. If those full records are made public, a fuller accounting of jesse jackson jr’s remarks and the complete set of tributes is expected to follow.
