MEMORIAL-REV. JESSE JACKSON

Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of SR0637

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SR0637
LRB104 21006 ECR 34890 r
1
SENATE RESOLUTION

2

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3
to learn of the death of Reverend Jesse Jackson, who passed
4
away on February 17, 2026; and

5

WHEREAS, Rev. Jackson was a luminary of the Civil Rights
6
Movement, a transformative politician for Illinois and the
7
United States of America, and a faithful Baptist minister
8
ordained in Chicago; and

9

WHEREAS, As a notable civil rights leader for over 60
10
years, Rev. Jackson was committed to working toward the
11
betterment of all people, participating in a multitude of
12
efforts dedicated to fighting against racial discrimination
13
and segregation, including a sit-in at a whites-only public
14
library in Greenville, South Carolina in 1960; and

15

WHEREAS, Rev. Jackson was born in Greenville, South
16
Carolina on October 8, 1941; he attended Sterling High School,
17
where he served as class president, was tenth in his
18
graduating class, and participated in baseball, football, and
19
basketball, gaining letters in all sports; and

20

WHEREAS, Rev. Jackson's ties to Illinois began with him
21
receiving a scholarship to play football at the University of

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LRB104 21006 ECR 34890 r
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Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he attended for one year; and

2

WHEREAS, Rev. Jackson later moved to Chicago, where he
3
received a Rockefeller grant and enrolled at the Chicago
4
Theological Seminary before pursuing activism full time in the
5
Civil Rights Movement; the following year, he and several
6
students drove from Chicago to Selma, Alabama to join Rev. Dr.
7
Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership
8
Conference (SCLC) on their campaign for voting rights,
9
participating in the historic 1965 march from Selma to
10
Montgomery; and

11

WHEREAS, During this time, Rev. Jackson also worked with
12
Dr. King to lay the groundwork for his Chicago Freedom
13
Movement, expanding the regional impact of the Civil Rights
14
Movement; and

15

WHEREAS, Rev. Jackson worked with Dr. King to create and
16
facilitate a branch of the SCLC in Chicago; through this
17
diligent effort, he oversaw and led Operation Breadbasket
18
beginning in 1967, an initiative dedicated to promoting
19
awareness of Black-owned businesses and creating opportunities
20
for the Black workforce, bringing nearly 5,000 jobs to the
21
Black community over the several years it was in operation;
22
and

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LRB104 21006 ECR 34890 r
1

WHEREAS, That same year, Rev. Jackson established
2
Operation PUSH, initially known as People United to Save
3
Humanity, in the Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago to build and
4
strengthen the economic conditions of Black communities across
5
America; and

6

WHEREAS, Rev. Jackson later created the National Rainbow
7
Coalition in 1984 to further the fight for equal rights for
8
all; emphasizing his constant efforts in pursuing economic
9
equality for marginalized communities, coalition members took
10
a stand against policies that would impact the success of
11
their communities and worked to support all groups negatively
12
impacted by the economic policies of the Reagan
13
administration; and

14

WHEREAS, Rev. Jackson later departed from both Operation
15
PUSH and the National Rainbow Coalition to continue the fight
16
for social justice and economic equality for all people in the
17
United States; and

18

WHEREAS, Rev. Jackson launched his first presidential
19
campaign in 1984 and his second in 1988, further cementing his
20
dedication towards achieving social equality for all; and

21

WHEREAS, Rev. Jackson demonstrated his commitment to
22
service and community engagement by serving as a shadow

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LRB104 21006 ECR 34890 r
1
delegate and shadow U.S. Senator for the District of Columbia
2
from 1991 to 1997; and

3

WHEREAS, Rev. Jackson served as a successful advisor in
4
international diplomacy, securing the release of captives in
5
Syria, Iraq, and Kosovo, advocating for peace in Northern
6
Ireland, and serving as President Bill Clinton's special envoy
7
of democracy to Kenya; and

8

WHEREAS, Rev. Jackson merged Operation PUSH and the
9
National Rainbow Coalition in 1996 to continue his fight for
10
Black social justice and corporate accountability; and

11

WHEREAS, Rev. Jackson's dedication to the country,
12
commitment to service, and allegiance to advancing civil
13
rights were recognized by President Clinton, who honored him
14
with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest
15
civilian honor, in August 2000; and

16

WHEREAS, Rev. Jackson was the loving husband of Jacqueline
17
Lavinia Jackson, who he married on December 31, 1962, and the
18
proud father of Santita Jackson, Jesse Jackson Jr., Jonathan
19
Jackson, Yusef DuBois Jackson, Jacqueline Lavinia Jackson, and
20
Ashley Jackson; and

21

WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that State of Illinois honor

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LRB104 21006 ECR 34890 r
1
the life of Rev. Jackson, including his unwavering commitment
2
to public service, his unrelenting drive toward the betterment
3
of African Americans, and his indelible impact on the Civil
4
Rights Movement; therefore, be it

5

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL
6
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
7
Reverend Jesse Jackson and extend our sincere condolences to
8
his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
9
further

10

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11
presented to the family of Rev. Jackson as an expression of our
12
deepest sympathy.

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