Politics

A ‘Champion’ and a ‘Superhero’: Chicago Leaders Reflect on Passing of Civil Rights Icon Jesse Jackson

A “giant.” A “champion.” A “superhero.”

Officials from Chicago and across Illinois expressed condolences and shared their memories of legendary civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died Tuesday at the age of 84.

“We honor him, and his hard-earned legacy as a freedom fighter, philosopher, and faithful shepherd of his family and community here in Chicago,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement. “I am personally grateful for Rev. Jackson and his family embracing me and our city with his wisdom and guidance. His friendship, counsel and prayers had a deep impact on my family.”

Johnson, who called Jackson a mentor and friend, said the Chicago flag would be lowered to half-mast to honor his legacy and passing.

Santita Jackson confirmed that her father died at home in Chicago, surrounded by family.

Despite profound health challenges in his final years including a rare neurological disorder that affected his ability to move and speak, Jackson continued protesting against racial injustice into the era of Black Lives Matter.

In 2024, he appeared at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and at a City Council meeting to show support for a resolution backing a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday called Jackson a “giant of the civil rights movement,” and similarly ordered flags to be flown at half-mast across Illinois.

“He broke down barriers, inspired generations, and kept hope alive,” Pritzker said in a social media post. “Our state, nation, and world are better due to his years of service.

Former President Barack Obama credited Jackson with helping lead “some of the most significant movements for change in human history.”

“From organizing boycotts and sit-ins, to registering millions of voters, to advocating for freedom and democracy around the world, he was relentless in his belief that we are all children of God,” Obama said in a statement.

It was Jackson who gave Michelle Obama her first glimpse into political organizing, Obama said, adding that Jackson’s two presidential runs in the 1980s laid the foundation for his own successful campaign in 2008.

“Michelle and I will always be grateful for Jesse’s lifetime of service and the friendship our families share,” he said. “We stood on his shoulders.”

Illinois U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky called Jackson a “dear friend” who devoted his life “to fighting for dignity, equality, and opportunity for all.”

“From his transformative organizing and tireless advocacy in Chicago to his leadership on the national stage, his courage and conviction inspired millions and strengthened the civil rights movement across this nation,” she said in a statement.

Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford called Jackson “one of the greatest champions for justice and human dignity this nation has ever produced.”

“The Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. was a moral force, a prophetic voice and a living bridge between the movement that freed us and the work that still remains,” Lightford said in a statement. “May we honor his memory not with monuments, but with motion — continuing the fight for voting rights, economic justice and the full dignity of every human being. Rest in power, Reverend. The work goes on.”

Jackson led a lifetime of crusades in the United States and abroad, advocating for the poor and underrepresented on issues from voting rights and job opportunities to 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.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said he grew up near the PUSH headquarters and was inspired as a child by Jackson’s poem, which he said gave him “hope of what I may one day achieve by way of service to others.”

“He never hesitated to call to challenge me, unapologetically, to do better in my service to others,” Raoul said in a statement. “I am a better public servant because of Rev. Jesse Jackson. Rest, Reverend; you have earned your peace.”

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth called Jackson a “barrier-breaking civil rights giant” who spent his entire working to improve the lives of others.

“America is not, and has never been, perfect,” Duckworth said in a statement. “But we are closer to that more perfect union our founders dreamed of because of him.”

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates said Jackson repeatedly marched with educators and students, walked picket lines and “fought for the schools our children deserve.”

“Our superhero,” she said in a statement. “Our civil rights leader. Our moral compass. Our giant. Our American Patriot.”

“As we celebrate his ascent to an ancestor,” Davis Gates continued, “we must recommit ourselves to the work he modeled: to move, not mourn; to march, not mope; to choose service over sorrow; and to pursue dignity even in the face of despair.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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