Chicagoans remember Rev. Jesse Jackson as advocating for civil rights and social justice
CHICAGO (WLS) -- South Side neighbors have left roses and even goodbye letters to the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, describing him as an icon, but also someone they called a friend.
"You would think somebody was so iconic and so worldly that when they come home maybe they would be a little disconnected. No, he was connected," Jackson's next-door neighbor Oliver Speller said.
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He was more than a political figure. He was a man that captured hearts locally and worldwide.
"He took the broken places of his life, and he turned them into strength. And he became an inspiration for all," Jesse Jackson Jr. said.
SEE ALSO: Civil rights icon Rev. Jesse Jackson dies in Chicago at age 84
Jackson Jr. said he heard his father take his last breath Tuesday morning.
Now, the world is remembering the icon that was the first Black man to run for president, paving the way for former President Barack Obama.
"We were just all praying as a family that he continued to hold on, but, but he's at rest now. And it was so peaceful the last few days. He was just so quiet and so peaceful," Jackson Jr. said.
Even while battling Parkinson's and progressive supranuclear palsy, his children said he never gave up the fight of giving back, tasking them to do the same.
"I feel an obligation to help those that cannot speak up for themselves, people that have experienced wrongful sentences, people invested such as school closings, people that have been discriminated on their job, fighting for economic opportunity," Jonathan Jackson said.
As Jackson Park Highlands neighbors said their final goodbyes, they recognized his journey from segregated South Carolina to founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. But they knew him as a man who sat on their porches and became family.
"Always vigilant, always were here for our celebrations, prom, graduation, and just, it's a family. It was always, it's always been a strong family man and very supportive," Speller said. "He's an iconic figure, but just a real man, just a normal guy, normal neighbor, would come by the house eat barbecue with me when he wasn't supposed to eat barbecue."
Now, those like Speller said it's everyone else's turn to take up the mantle Jackson leaves behind.
"If we all did what he stood for, America would be a better place," Speller said.
He said the Jacksons are family.
"His wife is like a grandmother to my children," Speller said.
He and other neighbors described Jackson as present, approachable and generous with his time to friends and strangers alike, and a regular at the neighborhood's annual get-together.
"He would come out, celebrate with the entire neighborhood. He would come out and sit with us, have barbecue, have a good time," said Rick Norwood, president of the Jackson Park Highland Association.
Anita O'Neal shared a picture from when she was 11 years old, meeting Jackson on a flight to Missouri.
"I just hope he'll be remembered for a loving, kind, humanitarian person, a person who loved God first and loved us all," O'Neal said. "I just remember smiling because my mother told me to smile, you know."
O'Neal says when that picture was taken in the late 60s, Jackson was known as a protégé to Dr. Martin Luther King. And it wasn't until a few years later that she understood the significance of that chance encounter.
"As I got older, like about 16, 17 years old, I realized, you know, exactly who I had met that day. And so it was, it was an honor. And my father actually found this picture and sent it to me last year. So, I just keep it in my phone. So, it is a great honor. It's a great privilege to have known him," O'Neal said.
Back in November, his family said that while Rev. Jackson was in the hospital, there were moments when he woke up and his mind was sharp. And he talked about having dreams and seeing Martin Luther King. He turned to his family and tasked them with ending hunger across the city and the nation.
Until his last breath, Jackson never stopped fighting for others.
On Tuesday, people came to pay their respects, leaving flowers, cards and balloons outside the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
"When I prayed over him last night, I thanked him for the friend he was," said Fr. Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Church.
Father Pfleger spent Monday night praying with the Jackson family. He knew Jackson for years, often standing next to him, advocating for civil rights and social justice.
"We marched together," Fr. Pfleger said. "We went to jail together. You know, I remember we were in jail after fighting at Riverdale Chuck's gun shop. Now, we're in handcuffs in jail, and he looks over me, says, 'so, what we're going to do when we get out of here?'"
His impacts were felt beyond Chicago.
Father Pfleger said there was so much more to Jackson than the public persona people witnessed.
"We saw him always so strong up at podiums and pulpits and press conference, fighting. But, privately, he hurt. So, when we saw the injustices, when he thought about the lack of access to opportunities for children, when he'd see gun violence taking children's lives, he felt it so deeply," Fr. Pfleger said.
Jackson was the founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, which he led until 2023.
Tuesday morning, people stood outside the coalition's headquarters to pay their respects, at times getting emotional as they reflected on Jackson's legacy.
"I felt like he was family," Mary Johnson said. "He did a lot things for me and the community, as well, serving breakfast to the people, clothing, everything. He was a pillar to the community."
"My father who was a leader of the local SCLC, which was an organization of Martin Luther King in New York, coming here to see Jesse Jackson in-person was a highlight of my entire life," Carolyn Dunbar said.
The Rainbow PUSH Coalition will be announcing final arrangement and public observances for Jackson soon.
Jerry Reinsdorf, chairman of the Chicago Bulls and White Sox, said in a statement, "Today, Chicago lost one of its most influential voices with the passing of Rev. Jesse Jackson. Jesse was a civil rights leader whose work impacted the lives of countless people in our city and beyond. His lifelong commitment to justice, opportunity and service made him a pillar of our community. Jesse was consistently one of the biggest supporters of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox and he shared our belief in the power of sports to unite people. Our thoughts are with the Jackson family, as we honor the courageous and remarkable life he led. Rev. Jackson will forever be remembered as an advocate, a changemaker and an all-time great Chicagoan."
