CHICAGO − Mourners are set to gather to remember the late civil rights icon Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Jackson'sfamilyon Feb. 18 revealed preliminary funeral plans for the longtime activist whodied at 84following a lengthy illness withprogressive supranuclear palsy, a rare disease that causes a decline similar to Parkinson's disease but accelerated.
The towering civil rights iconbattled alongside Martin Luther King Jr., negotiated global hostage releases and shamed corporations for their lack of corporate diversity and failure to support voting rights. Jackson founded what would ultimately become the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and was a Democratic presidential candidate in 1984 and 1988, energizing and registering millions of Black voters.
As tributes pour in for Jackson and his family, the nation is preparing to mourn Jackson's prolific legacy of activism. Here's what we know about funeral plans and public observances in the coming days.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a towering civil rights icon who battled alongside Martin Luther King Jr., negotiated global hostage releases, and shamed corporations for their lack of corporate diversity and failure to support voting rights, has died. He was 84.See his family, including six children and his longtime wife, beginning here
with a family portrait outside the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated at the National Civil Rights Museum on April 3, 2018 in Memphis, Tenn." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Martin Luther King III, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Jackson's son Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) walk across Edmund Pettus Bridge as they commemorate the 60th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" on March 9, 2025 in Selma, Alabama. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
See Civil Rights icon Jesse Jackson's family and history
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a towering civil rights icon who battled alongside Martin Luther King Jr., negotiated global hostage releases, and shamed corporations for their lack of corporate diversity and failure to support voting rights,has died. He was 84.See his family, including six children and his longtime wife, beginning herewith a family portrait outside the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated at the National Civil Rights Museum on April 3, 2018 in Memphis, Tenn.
What we know about Jackson's funeral
Speaking in Chicago on Feb. 18, Jackson's family announced services to honor Jackson will begin "in earnest" next week. Jackson is expected to lie in state at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters in Chicago, and a memorial service will be held at a nearby church that is yet to be determined.
A final celebration of life is set to be held the coalition's headquarters.
'Personality, grit and street smarts':Trump says he knew Jesse Jackson well
'All are welcome'
Anyone is invited to gather in remembrance of Jackson, his family said.
"We will do our best to accommodate everyone," Jackson's son, Jesse Jackson Jr., said on Feb. 18.
Advertisement
"Come respectful and come to say thank you, but these homegoing services are welcome to all, Democrat, Republican, liberal and conservative, right wing, left wing, because his life is broad enough to cover the full spectrum of what it means to be an American," Jackson said.
He continued that the family will post further details and logistics about any services onJesseJacksonlegacy.com.
Jesse Jackson's most powerful quotes:'Keep the hope alive' and more
Why Chicago?
Jackson was born in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1941, but the Windy City always represented a second home for him. At the time of his death, he lived on Chicago's South Shore and had contributed decades of local leadership to civil rights causes.
Jackson attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign until his sophomore year and then transferred North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College in Greensboro. After college, Jackson moved in 1964 to Chicago toattend the Chicago Theological Seminary.
He organized peers who drove from Chicago to Selma, Alabama, to join Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1965 campaign for voting rights, according tothe Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. He then went on to help King start a Chicago movement for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), coined "Operation Breadbasket." Jackson lead this Chicago chapter even after King's assassination, leading boycotts and protests in the city in defense of equal economic opportunities until 1971 when he formed PUSH and later the Rainbow Coalition. He then went on to run for president twice.
Chicagoremained a home basefor Jackson amid his local and national activist career, and was a site of multiple efforts spearheaded by the activist who sought tocall out corporationsand governments for diversity failures.
Photos:See memorable Jesse Jackson moments
Chicago residents are already pouring in to express grief for Jackson and support his family. Flowers, notes and other tributes at appeared at the coalition's headquarters, while mourners across the country also express their support for Jackson and his family.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:What we know about Jesse Jackson's funeral services, observances
