Updated on: March 7, 2026 / 5:25 PM EST / CBS Chicago
Rev. Jesse Jackson’s children delivered loving, personal and often emotional eulogies Saturday at his private homegoing service at the Chicago headquarters of Rainbow PUSH, the social justice organization he founded.
All six children spoke or performed. Santita Jackson performed a rousing rendition of “My Tribute (To God Be The Glory)” by Andrae Crouch. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Yusuf Jackson Sr. had also spoken at Friday’s public memorial service, “The People’s Celebration,” held at House of Hope on Chicago’s Far South Side.
While many Friday speakers — including former presidents Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Bill Clinton — emphasized Jackson’s civil rights legacy, political campaigns, advocacy and cultural impact, the children’s remarks offered intimate portraits of the man they called “dad.”
Yusuf Jackson Sr. said, “He taught us that every child deserves a strong foundation, a loving mother and a family, a welcoming church, a close-knit neighborhood with resources and opportunity. He lived that belief.” He added, “It was hard to visit my father, even in his illness, and not leave feeling better about yourself.”
U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson reflected on his father’s political stature and on childhood embarrassment at his protests and boycotts. “I was embarrassed as a child to see my father protesting and boycotting week after week,” he said. “I didn’t understand economic exclusion and the fight for economic inclusion… I didn’t understand. I’m not going to lie to you. It was a great source of pain for me to hear people talk about my father. But let me tell you what: that was only because I was a child.” He added, “I’m proud to say that my father was my friend, my hero, my pastor, my confidant, my biggest cheerleader, my political advisor… When I was at my worst, I saw a man at his best, and I’m proud to call him my father.”
Ashley Jackson, the youngest, recalled a road trip through the American South with her father to the house where he was born in South Carolina, during which he taught her about the Civil Rights Movement and his personal history. “Today, I am standing here as his daughter, the baby of the family, bereft and amazed and so deeply grateful that enough of his love was poured into me across 26 years that I know I will never run out,” she said. “Dad, I love you in every lifetime, and until we meet again, I’ll find you in the rainbows.”
Dr. Jaqueline Jackson II, an author and peace activist, described how her father helped her with learning, reading and math as a child who struggled in school, and how he attentively supported her introverted nature. She spoke of reversing roles as his health declined, helping her mother meet new challenges. “In the end,” she said, “it came down not to the tools but simply the love for someone whose love could never be repaid. God bless you, Daddy.”
Jesse Jackson Jr. became emotional as he recounted his parents’ meeting more than 60 years ago, bearing his father’s name in his own political career, and his father’s support during his fall from grace and conviction for campaign fraud. Recalling a prison visit, he said, “I remember when Daddy would come visit me in prison, and I would think about all of the people my daddy could save. And he came to visit me one day and I said, ‘Daddy, do you think you can get me out of here?’ He said, ‘I’m trying son, but don’t give up. Hold your head high, stick your chest out. You can make it.'”
Concluding through tears, Jackson Jr. said, “I am grateful to each of the iterations of Jesse Jackson that are represented here today because we’ve seen you, and you, and you, and you have lifted this family and allowed us the great privilege of representing you… I am grateful to all of you on behalf of our family. Rise, Jesse, rise!”
The homegoing offered a more private, familial view of a public figure whose national influence on civil rights, politics and social justice was reflected in both high-profile tributes and the intimate memories shared by his children.