{"id":524209,"date":"2026-03-07T07:36:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T07:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/524209\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T07:36:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T07:36:08","slug":"jesse-jackson-hailed-as-ambassador-of-hope-at-memorial-attended-by-clintons-obama-and-biden-jesse-jackson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/524209\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesse Jackson hailed as \u2018ambassador of hope\u2019 at memorial attended by Clintons, Obama and Biden | Jesse Jackson"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the longtime civil rights activist\u2019s memorial celebration on Friday, the Rev Jesse Jackson<\/a> was remembered as a \u201cchampion\u201d for the \u201cpoor and the dispossessed\u201d \u2013 as well as \u201cone of the most effective community and political organizers of our time\u201d.<\/p>\n

Such tributes came from past Democratic US presidents Barack Obama<\/a>, Bill Clinton<\/a> and Joe Biden<\/a>, along with former vice-president Kamala Harris<\/a>, who received cheers and applause while they joined thousands of others in a Chicago church for a celebration of life for Jackson.<\/p>\n

Outside the church on Chicago<\/a>\u2019s South Side, crowds formed long lines as TV screens showed highlights from some of the best-known speeches delivered by Jackson, who spent more than half a century in public life and mounted a strong campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988.<\/p>\n

Vendors on site offered hoodies with his slogan \u201cI am somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Obama was met with a standing ovation upon taking the stage to eulogize Jackson, whom he compared to the prophet Isaiah in his remarks.<\/p>\n

Jackson, Obama remarked, was \u201ca man who, when the poor and the dispossessed needed a champion and the country needed healing, stepped forward again and again and again and said: \u2018send me\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n

Obama added that Jackson\u2019s first presidential campaign inspired him<\/a> and drew him to Chicago<\/a>, the city both men called home.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn his ideas and his platform, in his analysis, in his intelligence, in his insight, Jesse hadn\u2019t just held his own,\u201d Obama said. \u201cHe had owned that stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barack Obama speaks during funeral service for Jesse Jackson at the House of Hope in Chicago, Illinois, on Friday. Photograph: Victor Hilitski\/EPA<\/p>\n

Two decades after Jackson\u2019s second presidential campaign, Obama became the first Black US president. He credited Jackson with helping make that milestone achievable.<\/p>\n

Jackson \u201cwasn\u2019t an intruder \u2013 he wasn\u2019t a pretender\u201d, Obama said. \u201cHe belonged on that stage. And the message he sent, to a 22-year-old child of a single mother with a funny name, an outsider, was that there wasn\u2019t any place, any room, where we didn\u2019t belong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Illinois governor JB Pritzker, meanwhile, described Jackson as \u201can ambassador of hope for the oppressed, who met with kings and queens and presidents and dictators and clergy of all the great religions.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut here in Chicago<\/a>, he was our neighbor. He was our friend. We were so proud. We are so proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biden expressed deep admiration for Jackson in his speech, describing him as \u201cunderrated, undeterred and unafraid\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had very different backgrounds, and in some cases different views, but never on race,\u201d Biden said. \u201cSometimes we went toe-to-toe and disagreed about issues. But that\u2019s what I admired most about Jesse, his passion. The courage of his convictions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biden also criticized Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s administration, saying its values run counter to those of the people gathered at the service. \u201cWe\u2019re in a tough spot, folks,\u201d Biden said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got an administration that doesn\u2019t share any of the values that we have.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I don\u2019t think I\u2019m exaggerating a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rev Al Sharpton<\/a>, who often referred to Jackson as his mentor, echoed Biden\u2019s sentiments about the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are sitting on the brink of some of the most serious reconstruction behavior being rescinded that we\u2019ve seen in modern times,\u201d said Sharpton, who shared a close decades-long friendship with Jackson. \u201cTo leave here and not follow an assignment would not be what Jesse Jackson<\/a> taught us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The civil rights activist also said that \u2013 simultaneous to the memorial \u2013 those in power were \u201ckilling illegal immigrants\u201d while hurting Americans by cutting the Affordable Care Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe won\u2019t go back!\u201d Sharpton said, before his speech concluded with applause. \u201cWe won\u2019t go back!\u201d<\/p>\n

Rev Al Sharpton speaks at a celebration of life service for Jesse Jackson in Chicago, Illinois. Photograph: Scott Olson\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Harris opened her remarks by saying: \u201cLet me just say, I predicted a lot about what\u2019s happening right now,\u201d referring to her unsuccessful run for the White House against Trump.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not into saying \u2018I told you so,\u2019 but we did see it coming. But what I did not predict is that we would not have Jesse Jackson with us right now to help us get through this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harris lauded Jackson as \u201ca strategist\u201d, adding: \u201cHe did not waste time waiting, even when the doors in front of him were barred and bolted, even if those on the other side hesitated or even ignored him. He always devised a way through.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was one of the most effective community and political organizers of our time. And he was the founder \u2013 I think most would agree \u2013 the founder of the modern progressive coalition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jackson, 84, died<\/a> on 17 February after struggling with a rare neurological disorder that impaired his mobility and speech. Relatives said he kept coming into the office until late 2025 and used hand signals to communicate.<\/p>\n

His last public appearances included the 2024 Democratic national convention in Chicago.<\/p>\n

Over decades, Jackson\u2019s<\/a> activism<\/a> took him around the world as he spoke out for marginalized communities.<\/p>\n

His efforts addressed issues such as voting rights, healthcare access, employment opportunities and education. Among other accomplishments, he pushed corporate executives to broaden opportunities and fairness in American society.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a trailblazer \u2013 I was a pathfinder,\u201d Jackson said in a May 2020 interview with the the Guardian<\/a>. \u201cI had to deal with doubt and cynicism and fears about a Black person running [for president]. There were Black scholars writing papers about why I was wasting my time. Even Blacks said a Black couldn\u2019t win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plans for a memorial event in Washington DC were postponed after US House speaker Mike Johnson rejected<\/a> a proposal for Jackson to lie in honor in the Capitol\u2019s rotunda. Jackson argued that the space is typically reserved for a limited group of officials, including former presidents.<\/p>\n

No further details about a future ceremony have been announced.<\/p>\n

The Associated Press contributed reporting<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At the longtime civil rights activist\u2019s memorial celebration on Friday, the Rev Jesse Jackson was remembered as a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":524210,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-524209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=524209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524209\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/524210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=524209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=524209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=524209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}