Three former US presidents—Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden—gathered on Friday in Chicago for a public memorial service honoring the life of civil rights icon Jesse Jackson, who died on February 17 at the age of 84.
The service drew hundreds of attendees as a blue-lit projection of Jackson graced a giant screen behind the altar. A choir performed, and guests photographed a panel bearing one of Jackson’s most famous mantras: “Keep hope alive.”
Other notable speakers included former Vice President Kamala Harris, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Jackson, a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr., began his activism in the 1960s, participating in his first sit-in in Greenville in 1960 and joining the Selma-to-Montgomery marches in 1965. He later gained national prominence as a Baptist minister, mediator, and international envoy.
He played a leading role in the fight against apartheid in South Africa and served as presidential special envoy for Africa under Bill Clinton in the 1990s. In 1996, Jackson founded the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to social justice and political activism.
The memorial reflected on Jackson’s six decades of advocacy, his enduring influence on African American communities, and his global contributions as a champion of human rights and equality.
