Across Illinois, state and local officials are remembering civil rights leader and politician Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died Tuesday at age 84.
Illinois leaders honor civil rights icon
Lawmakers, including Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, took to social media to pay tribute to the activist. Gov. JB Pritzker also ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in his honor.
On X, Duckworth described Jackson as a “barrier-breaking civil rights giant,” with Durbin saying he touched many lives. Krishnamoorthi called him a “towering champion” who was dedicated to serving his community.
In DuPage County, community leaders recalled Jackson as a fearless individual who fought for unity and equality.
“Jesse Jackson was that person who, when the window was shut, the door was open, and he not only walked through, but he made an impact for many of us to take our rightful seats,” said Regina Brent, founder and president of Unity Partnership, an organization that works to foster relationships between law enforcement and civilians.
Community leaders recall Jackson’s impact
A friend of Jackson’s, Brent first encountered him nearly 60 years ago when she was just 19 years old, living on Chicago’s South Side.
At the time, he was leading Operation Breadbasket, a movement started by Martin Luther King Jr. to bring economic justice to Black communities, and she was helping with community outreach.
“He serviced many families that possibly didn’t have groceries for the week or for the month. He made sure that these particular recipients would receive something throughout the month. So that was our job to start community outreach by reaching out to those who were in need and those who did not have a voice,” said Brent.
Jackson and Brent together at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s 57th Annual International Convention in 2023.
She said Jackson inspired her activism and taught her different ways she could make a change in her community, from drafting petitions to organizing peaceful demonstrations.
She recounted one instance when building elevators in the Robert Taylor Housing Projects were consistently faulty and neglected. Fed up, Brent created a petition on notebook paper, gathered signatures from residents, and together, they marched to the Chicago Housing Authority demanding change.
“I always wondered, ‘What could we do?’ And it wasn’t until I saw Jesse Jackson and heard about his principles and what he would do to make change. I began to try to pattern him,” she said.
A legacy of unity and dedication
Similar to Brent, Michael Childress, president of the DuPage County NAACP, also met Jackson when he led Operation Breadbasket.
The first Black member of the DuPage County Board, Childress said he learned a great deal from Jackson about what it meant to be a leader.
“The leadership qualities that he possessed are going to be greatly missed…When it came to standing up for your rights and the rights of other people…he was just very direct, and he wouldn’t back down. There was no wishy-washiness about him,” he said.
According to Childress, through its work, the NAACP strives to mirror Jackson’s message of equality and progress for all marginalized groups, exemplified by the National Rainbow Coalition, which Jackson created in 1984 during his first run for president. Later evolved into the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the organization and movement aimed to unite people of color against racism and other social issues.
“He never talked about just what benefits Black people. He talked about what benefits all of us, and thus the Rainbow Coalition…We all have to come together if we’re going to benefit and going to build a greater system,” said Childress.
Both Brent and Childress highlighted that Jackson remained active in the community up until his death.
Jackson poses with Chicagoland leaders during the Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s 57th Annual International Convention in 2023.
“Whenever I would call Jesse, he answered…I am very proud to have known him and his family,” said Brent.
About Rev. Jesse Jackson
Jackson first came to prominence in the 60s, participating in the Selma to Montgomery marches and working under Martin Luther King Jr. in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a civil rights organization King started.
In 1984, Jackson became the second Black person to run for president, and he ran a second time in 1988. Despite losing, he is said to have paved the way for future Black politicians, particularly former president Barack Obama.
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