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Selma
wasn't
just a
moment
in his
past; it
was a
call he
answered
again
and
again.
Year
after
year,
Jackson
returned
to honor
Bloody
Sunday,
walking
across
the
Edmund
Pettus
Bridge. |
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Rev.
Jesse
Jackson
gives a
speech
in
Chicago
during
his
Democratic
Party
run for
president
in 1984.
Photo by
David
Hume
Kennerly/Getty
Images. |
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A Lion
of
Social
Justice
Laid to
Rest:
The
World
Bids
Farewell
to Rev.
Jesse
Jackson
Sr.
Jordan
Jenkins,
Senior
Civil
Rights
Reporter
Tell Us
Chicago
News
CHICAGO,
IL - The
Lion of
Social
Justice
is being
laid to
rest
today in
a series
of
emotional
and
star-studded
tributes
that
have
drawn
global
dignitaries
to the
city’s
Far
South
Side.
Rev.
Jesse L.
Jackson
Sr., who
passed
away on
February
17,
2026, at
the age
of 84,
is the
focus of
today's
Peoples
Celebration
at the
House of
Hope.
The
atmosphere
in
Chicago
is one
of
solemn
reflection
mixed
with a
vibrant
celebration
of a
six-decade
legacy
that
shifted
the
tectonic
plates
of
American
politics
and
civil
rights.
The
10,000-seat
House of
Hope
reached
capacity
early
this
morning
as
mourners
arrived
to pay
their
final
respects.
The
guest
list
reflects
Jacksons
immense
reach
across
the
halls of
power.
Former
Presidents
Bill
Clinton,
Barack
Obama,
and Joe
Biden
are all
in
attendance
to
deliver
remarks
on
Jacksons
influence
on the
American
presidency.
Political
leaders
such as
Chicago
Mayor
Brandon
Johnson,
Illinois
Governor
JB
Pritzker,
and
Congresswoman
Maxine
Waters
are
joined
by
hundreds
of civil
rights
activists
who
marched
alongside
Jackson
from
Selma to
South
Africa.
The
service
features
musical
tributes
by
Jennifer
Hudson,
BeBe and
Marvin
Winans,
and
LeAndria
Johnson.
He
didn't
just
speak
for us;
he
taught
us that
we were
Somebody.
Today we
aren't
just
burying
a man;
we are
recommitting
to the
movement
he
championed,
said one
attendee
who had
traveled
from
Jacksons
hometown
of
Greenville,
South
Carolina.
Todays
events
are part
of a
multi-city
Homegoing
that
previously
saw
Jackson
lie in
state in
both
Washington,
D.C.,
and
South
Carolina.
The
Peoples
Celebration
at the
House of
Hope is
the
primary
public
service
featuring
world
leaders.
A
private
service
will
follow
tomorrow
at the
Rainbow
PUSH
headquarters
for
family
and the
inner
circle,
where
music
legend
Stevie
Wonder
is
scheduled
to
perform
a
special
tribute.
Outside
the
arena,
the
streets
of
Chicago
are
lined
with
supporters
holding
signs
reading
Keep
Hope
Alive,
the
famous
mantra
from
Jacksons
1988
presidential
run.
While
the city
mourns,
his
children—including
Santita,
Jesse
Jr., and
Jonathan
Jackson—have
vowed
that the
Rainbow
PUSH
Coalition
will
continue
its work
in voter
registration
and
economic
justice.
As the
funeral
procession
prepares
to move
through
the
South
Side,
the
Apostle
of Hope
leaves
behind a
nation
that is
undeniably
changed
by his
voice,
his
courage,
and his
relentless
pursuit
of the
Rainbow
of
humanity.
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