Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. Honored at Grand Funeral in Kenwood Hundreds gathered at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters in Kenwood on Saturday to pay their final respects to civil rights icon Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., who passed away on February 17 at the age of 84. The funeral service, held at the organization’s headquarters, drew attendees from across the globe, including political leaders, celebrities, and community members, as they commemorated the life of a man who dedicated decades to social justice and activism. The event, which began with mourners lining up by 7 a.m. for the 10 a.m. service, filled the venue to capacity and lasted until after 2 p.m. The ceremony featured tributes to Jackson’s legacy as a civil rights leader, his role in Chicago since the 1960s, and his impact as a neighbor in the Jackson Park Highlands neighborhood. His body was later laid to rest at Oak Woods Cemetery in Woodlawn. Among those in attendance were Mayor Brandon Johnson and other local officials, Rev. Al Sharpton, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Democratic Republic of the Congo President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, actor Mr. T, comedian Jussie Smollett, and actress Sheryl Lee Ralph. The gathering also included a performance by Stevie Wonder, who sang two songs and delivered a heartfelt speech about his experiences marching alongside Jackson. Wonder concluded his set with a powerful rendition of his 1976 hit “As.” The funeral followed a public memorial on Friday at House of Hope Church on the Far South Side, which attracted thousands, including former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden, as well as former Vice President Kamala Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.#rainbow_push_coalition #rev_jesse_jackson_sr #kenwood #oak_woods_cemetery #woodlawn
