- Jackson’s life and work inspired many, including NBA legend Isiah Thomas, who called him ‘our Nelson Mandela’.
- Jackson’s famous ‘I am somebody’ message resonated deeply, reflecting his commitment to uplifting the underprivileged.
- Chicago Mayor Johnson praised Jackson’s instinctive ability to unite labor and faith in the fight for justice and freedom.
Rev. Jesse Jackson, the titan of the civil rights movement, pastor and presidential candidate, was laid to rest today in Chicago at the House of Hope on the city’s Southside. BOSSIP previously reported Jackson’s peaceful passing on February 17 after an extended battle with progressive supranuclear palsy, a condition similar to Parkinson’s disease.
It shouldn’t be surprising that the list of famous faces in attendance at Jackson’s celebration of life is extensive. On the political side of things, both Bill and Hillary Clinton, Joe and Jill Biden, Barack Obama, and Kamala Harris all pulled up to pay their respects.
Additionally, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Rep. Maxine Waters, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker were also in attendance. On the celebrity front, Tyler Perry, Jennifer Hudson, Gospel singer Bebe Winans, Pastor Marvin Winans, Judge Mathis, and NBA legend Isiah Thomas all were seen at the service.
Thomas openly wept when talking about how inspiring it was to meet Jackson in the late 1960s calling him “our Nelson Mandela,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
“When society was telling me I was a nobody, when society was telling me we don’t even want to go to school with you, this man walked up to me and my mom… and then he did the unthinkable,” he said. “Mama Jackson, your husband kneeled down, and he looked me in the eyes, and that man said, ‘You are somebody.’”
If Jackson’s most famous words, “I am somebody,” don’t give you goosebumps, then you might want to check whether or not you are alive or in the upper room with him.
Mayor Johnson spoke directly to Rev. Jackson’s innate ability to read a room, understand a situation, and act accordingly, always with the intent to help get Black people free.
“It was his instincts that understood that labor and faith were one and the same as Dr. King prophesied. It was his instincts to stand up against school closures and the shuttering of mental health clinics. It was his instincts that led protests down Michigan Avenue when a boy’s life was taken by a police officer and the government tried to cover it up,” said Johnson.
Former President Barack Obama also took to the pulpit to deliver a powerful statement about how Jackson’s presence in the American political ecosystem fundamentally altered the Democratic party.
Jesse Jackson will be missed, but we will always be grateful for his leadership and sacrifice on our behalf.
Rest in power, sir.
