Jesse Jackson Memorial

Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., hugs a mourner at a public visitation for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Chicago.

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Former Democratic presidents remember the late Rev. Jesse Jackson during final public tribute

Former Democratic presidents remember the late Rev. Jesse Jackson during final public tribute

From former presidents to an NBA Hall of Famer to prominent church pastors, stories of the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.’s influence on politics, corporate boardrooms and picket lines loomed large at a celebration honoring the late civil rights leader. Thousands of people gathered Friday at a church on Chicago’s South Side to pay a final public tribute to Jackson. Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden, and former Vice President Kamala Harris, spoke during the program. The ceremony honors Jackson, a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate. It follows memorial services that drew large crowds in Chicago and South Carolina.