Civil Rights Activist and US politician, Reverend Jesse Jackson has been described as a fighter for justice in the US and around the world at his memorial service taking place in Chicago.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is in the US and will join the Jackson family where he will pay tribute at the Reverend’s funeral on Saturday.
PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA ARRIVES IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS TO DELIVER TRIBUTE TO LATE EMINENT HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGNER DR JESSE LOUIS JACKSON SR
President @CyrilRamaphosa has arrived at Chicago O’ Hare International Airport in the state of Illinois in the United States of America.… pic.twitter.com/hIVRXL17YB
— The Presidency
(@PresidencyZA) March 6, 2026
World leaders including former US Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden are attending Friday’s service.
Many of the speakers described Reverend Jackson’s rise from humble beginnings to becoming an icon in the fight for the rights of the downtrodden.
Jackson’s son Yusef says his father brought light to a sometimes dark world.
“He went to jail at 17 years old in Greenville, South Carolina, protesting for the right to use a public library. And even near the end of his life, he never spoke to me about his existential struggle with life, his inability to express himself clearly, the loss of his gifts, his inability to walk and move. Instead, he urged me to organise churches and pastors to help feed millions of people who are affected by food insecurity as a result of the loss of SNAP benefits. He carried a well-read Bible, not as a symbol, but as a guide. He lived a revolutionary Christian faith rooted in justice, non-violence, and the moral righteousness of standing with the least of these.”
