Governor Josh Shapiro on Monday ordered all United States and Pennsylvania flags to be flown at half-staff on March 7 to honor Reverend Jesse Jackson, who died earlier this month.
Shapiro’s order applies to all state buildings, public buildings and public grounds across the Commonwealth.
All Pennsylvanians are invited to participate in the tribute to Jackson, who died on Feb. 17.
Jackson was a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate who led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after the revered leader’s assassination.
Jackson led a lifetime of crusades in the United States and abroad, advocating for the poor and underrepresented on issues, including voting rights, job opportunities, education and health care.
He scored diplomatic victories with world leaders, and through his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, he channeled cries for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms, pressuring executives to make America a more open and equitable society.
And when he declared, “I am Somebody,” in a poem he often repeated, he sought to reach people of all colors. “I may be poor, but I am Somebody; I may be young; but I am Somebody; I may be on welfare, but I am Somebody,” Jackson intoned.
Rep. Napoleon Nelson (D-Montgomery), the chairman of the Pa. Legislative Black Caucus, commended Gov. Shapiro for honoring Jackson.
“Reverend Jackson was a giant in American history,” said Nelson. “He fought endlessly for justice and taught us that faith without action is incomplete.”
“We commend Gov. Shapiro for taking this step to recognize Rev. Jackson and his life’s work, while encouraging all Pennsylvanians to observe this tribute and carry his memory with us,” Nelson continued.
Memorial services honoring his life will be expanded beyond Chicago with events in Washington, D.C. and South Carolina.
Jackson will still lie in repose this week at the Chicago headquarters of his Rainbow PUSH Coalition with a public celebration of life and homegoing services to follow, though dates for Chicago events have been changed.
Formal services were added, scheduled from March 1 to March 4 in Washington, D.C., and South Carolina, where Jackson was born and raised.