Rev. Jesse Jackson memorial at House of Hope in Chicago celebrates life, legacy, and work

The line to get into Jackson's services wrapped around the parking lot at House of Hope, as people from all walks of life decided the memorial was a moment they could not miss.

"I drove two hours to get here and probably walked a mile just to get to this spot, right here," Jerry Lumpkins said.

Gospel music welcomed guests as they came to honor Jackson's legacy. Chicago-born Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winner Jennifer Hudson, offered her own musical tribute to the civil rights icon.

"Every single person in here has a Jesse Jackson story," said his son, Jesse Jackson Jr.

From melodies to history, for more than five hours, local dignitaries, pastors, politicians, and three former presidents spoke about how Jackson's words and mantra of "I am somebody" spanned color barriers and international waters.

"Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. was a great civil rights leader," said U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters. "He didn't just talk to the talk, he walked the walk."

Former President Joe Biden called on everyone in the church and Americans at large to finish the job Jackson started in his life. 

"Jesse kept hope alive for us in his lifetime, and we've got to continue to do it in our lifetime for our children," he said.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris remembered Jackson as "one of the most effective community and political organizers of our time."

"He did not waste time waiting, even when the doors in front of him were barred and bolted," she said.

Former President Barack Obama said Jackson made people believe if they came together, they could make the world better.

"He was talking about everyone who was left out, everyone who was forgotten, everyone who was unseen, everyone who was unheard. And, in that sense, he was expressing the very essence of what our democracy should be," he said.

As thousands looked on, they were called to take Jackson's death and do more than just mourn, but get to work.

"Thus, it is in his name that we committed ourselves that the rainbow coalition will continue," said his son, Yusef Jackson, who now leads the Rainbow PUSH Coalition founded by his father.

Celebrities were present and so were everyday Chicagoans who felt connected to Jackson, who chose to call Chicago home.

"This man has been here my whole life," said Detroit Pistons Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, who grew up on Chicago's West Side, and expressed how Jackson held him and the city for decades on his shoulders. "Saying, 'I got you,' that's what Rev. Jesse L. Jackson means to us in Chicago," he said.

Thousands of members of the public attended the memorial for Rev. Jackson at House of Hope Friday, and a refrain they all shared comes from Jackson's most well-known poem: "I am somebody!"

"When I hear the phrase I am somebody. That makes me think you're not nobody. You're going to have something to do with this world," said 13-year-old Daniel Russell-Vincent.

"It just says how much of an impact he had on everyone's lives. A jewel. A jewel of this city. A jewel of this country. A jewel of this world. I drove two hours to get here and probably walked a mile just to get to this spot, right here," said Jerry Lumpkins.

Clouds looked ominous, as it was forecasted to rain. Those waiting in line, Like LaTanya Jackson came prepared.

"Guess what I got? She is not playing with the rain. There is her poncho. If it rains, baby, the Bears poncho is ready," she said.

Jackson, like many others took pictures in line and once they made it inside. She switched her schedule to come out.

"They were all in. My job AccentCare, they was like, oh please go see Jesse. We're supporting this. My physical therapy was today. I moved it over to yesterday. I made all moves," she said.

"I feel like this a moment where we need to show up and say what he meant and more importantly what he stood for. We need those values and we need that commitment right now," said historian and activist Dr. Barbara Ransby.

"I in fact was in Jordan at the time, a 10-year-old kid that saw this black man and get up that had oratory that made me believe not only in myself, but the possibility that politics can be a liberatory for us," said Palestinian-American activist Rami Nashashibi.

As they left the House of Hope, the members of the public who made it in to see Jackson's funeral said it was a "great celebration" of his life.

"When President Obama got up there, it really busted the cake. Al Sharpton came right behind him after that and come on with the come one," one attendee said. "And it was good."

"Jesse Jackson was the first person I voted for the first time I voted when I turned 18, in the primaries," another attendee recalled.

Another called it "history in the making."

After U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters spoke, the Jackson family joined Rev. Jackson's casket as it was wheeled out of House of Hope to return to Leak & Sons funeral home.

With the public "People's Celebration" now over, the Jackson family and invited guests will convene at Rainbow PUSH Headquarters Saturday morning for a final private funeral. Jackson's wife Jaqueline and his other children, Santita and U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson, are expected to speak at that service.

CBS News Chicago will be streaming the private funeral service live Saturday from 10 a.m. CT to 2 p.m. CT. 

Jesse Jackson Jr. did not let the honors being bestowed upon his father keep him from criticizing politicians and powerful people who stood in the reverend's way during his life's work.

"To the political class that took up most of the time, Dad was a stranger awaiting a returned phone call, reminding the political class of the urgency of the hour," he said. "That's who my daddy was."

Jackson Jr. argued his father's greatest contributions to America were not political, but something much more.

"My father looked at the undecided and recognized that they lacked somebodyness, and he told them to keep hope alive. But that's not enough," he said. "Keeping hope alive is the answer to suicidality. Not only for people who might want to kill themselves, but for a nation on the brink of self-destruction: keep hope alive."

"I am somebodyness is what Jesse Jackson's known for," his son declared. "Jesse Jackson's contribution is not political, it's psychological. Negro, you are better off today than when you met this negro!"

Opening with another joke about time, former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. noted that Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in three and a half minutes, and Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered the "I Have a Dream" speech in 13 and a half minutes. 

"If it can't be said between the Gettysburg Address and 'I Have a Dream,' it ought be said at all," Jackson Jr. said. 

But, he said, with his seven to eight minutes of time, "I want to talk about my daddy."

Greeted with thunderous applause, Former Vice President Kamala Harris took a moment at the start of her eulogy to joke about our current political moment.

"So let me just say, I predicted a lot about what's happening right now," she said, prompting loud laughter from the attendees. "I'm not into saying I told you, but we did see it coming."

Then she turned slightly somber and more serious.

"But what I did not predict is that we would not have Jesse Jackson with us right now to help us get through this," she said. 

President Clinton closed his eulogy for Jackson softly, and on a personal note.

"I'm here more as a friend than a former president," he said. "He was my friend when I needed him. And I ask you to ask yourself, how can you do more by being a better friend and a more effective one."

Pres. Clinton shared a story he said he didn't think he'd ever told before. 

He said during the late 1990s, "while Congress was trying to run me out and I was going through that big impeachment fight," he remembered getting a call from Jackson at the White House. 

"I thought he was calling for me," Clinton said. "He said, 'I don't want to talk to you. I want you to go get Chelsea.' Now keep in mind, he's got all this other stuff going on, we got all this stuff. He called me to talk to my daughter to make sure she had her head in the game. And he prayed with her on the phone."

Pres. Bill Clinton reminisced in his eulogy about meeting Jackson during the 30th anniversary of the forced integration of Little Rock Central High School while he was governor of Arkansas.

"So we had a big dinner that night and after the dinner was over, Hillary asked Jesse to hang around so we could talk," he recalled. "We went to the kitchen and put some more food on the counter, and talked 'til midnight. And then Hillary said, 'We all gotta work tomorrow, I'm going to bed.' Two hours later, Jesse and I are still going about it and she walks into the kitchen and throws us out."

After the crowd laughed, Pres. Clinton turned serious once more.

"We did not always agree," he said of his relationship with Jackson. "But I'll tell you one thing: He made me a better president."

Rev. Sharpton's eulogy took turns into scripture and into politics, into Jackson's legacy and what he thought his longtime friend would think about the world we live in today. 

He recalled Jackson's clarity and determination, saying his friend would look at the world and say, "I see things as they are but I'm going to turn around and change them. I'm going to rise up anyhow."

That spirit infused the end of his eulogy, in which he called for a better tomorrow for America.

"I was raised by them to realize that after storms, if we do the right thing in the storm, if we organize, if we register, if we do what we're supposed to do, there's always a rainbow coming out," he said. "The rainbow don't show until the storm is over. The rainbow is going to come out in November, the rainbow is going to come out in '28. We are going to fix these tricks in '26 and march through the gates in '28. We didn't come this far to turna round. Now we won't go back. We won't go back! We won't go back!"

Rev. Al Sharpton started his eulogy with another joke about just how long everyone's speech is running.

"In my few minutes," he said. "And uh, if you take Brother Biden's few minutes and other minutes, I come out of the Jackson school of thought: they told me four minutes, which means eight in Jacksonian minutes."

Closing his deeply personal remarks, Pres. Biden called on everyone in the church and Americans at large to finish the job Jackson started in his life. 

"The point I'm making is, the more we know one another, the more we understand what we're going through, there's enough decency and human nature in this country to reach out, to help," Biden said. "You know, Jesse kept hope alive for us in his lifetime. And we've gotta continue to do it on our lifetime for our children, because there's nothing beyond our capacity when we work together. Nothing, nothing, nothing! So stand up! And finish this job."

Initially scheduled to speak later in the program, Former President Joe Biden was called up to speak after Jennifer Hudson's rousing performance of "A Change Gonna Come."

He took the change in stride, and with his trademark sense of humor.

"I think that clock is broken," he told the crowd. "I'll try to keep this under two minutes."

Former President Barack Obama spoke for nearly half an hour — at one point joking that if Isiah Thomas could go long, then so could he — and remembered Rev. Jackson as a true champion of the people.

"A man who, when the poor and the dispossessed, needed a champion and a country, needed healing, stepped forward again, and again, and again, and said 'Send me,'" Obama said. 

Read the full transcript of Obama's remarks at Jackson's funeral.

Basketball Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas memorialized Rev. Jackson, recalling him attending his basketball games during his youth and then, years later, showing up to support his family after his mother's death. 

"Years later my mother passed away," Thomas said. "And when my mother died, all of Chicago came out, represented, showed up, and we were at our lowest moment and Rev. Jackson walked into the church."

Thomas became emotional, unable to speak, as he recalled the kindness Jackson showed his family at the funeral. 

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson took a moment during his remarks to relate a funny recent memory of Rev. Jesse Jackson.

"Rev. Jackson may have been the most competitive individual I had ever met," Johnson told the crowd. 

He said a few years ago he had met with Jackson at a church on the West Side. 

"At the time, Lamar Jackson was on his way to becoming the MVP of the National Football League," the mayor recalled, "and I looked at Reverend and I said, 'Now there's a Jackson that's really making a name for himself.' And he, you know, Reverend did not like that, and he looked at me and he said, 'You know, I played that position.'"

"And he said, 'You know I was better than Lamar Jackson,'" Johnson recalled. "True story, he said, 'He might be taller, faster and stronger, but I'm better than him.'"

Click here to read his full remarks.

Gov. JB Pritzker delivered sincere and moving remarks on Rev. Jesse Jackson, highlighting in particular his close relationship to the city of Chicago. 

"We knew he shared an affliction common to all those in this room: he loved the political game all the way to the end, and while we know that we shared him with the whole world, Rev. Jackson belonged to Chicago, and Chicago belonged to him," Pritzker said. "He was ours, and we were his."

Click here to read the full transcript of Pritzker's remarks

Pastor Charlie Dates took a moment to apologize to some other notable governors in attendance before introducing Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to deliver his opening remarks.

"I want to apologize in advance to Governor Gavin Newsom, California; Governor Wes Moore, Maryland," Dates said. "Come on, clap your hands and celebrate them. I want to apologize in advance as I introduce the governor of the greatest state in these United States of America, Governor JB Pritzker."

"You said it," Pritzker joked when he took the stage. 

Of all the signature speeches, phrases and sermons Rev. Jesse Jackson delivered through his life, perhaps none was more well-known and oft-repeated than "I Am — Somebody."

The free-verse poem was recorded on the album I Am Somebody in 1971, and perhaps most famously performed on "Sesame Street" in 1972. It was also made part of the PUSH-Excel program designed to motivate and encourage Black students. 

The poem, performed as a call-and-response, is a demand for recognition and respect no matter one's race or class: 

I am — Somebody!
I am — Somebody!
I may be poor,
But I am — Somebody
I may be young,  
But I am — Somebody
I may be on welfar
But I am — Somebody
I may be small,
But I am — Somebody
I may have made mistakes
But I am — Somebody
My clothes are different
My face is different
My hair is different
But I am — Somebody
I am Black
Brown, or white
I speak a different language
But I must be respected,
Protected,
Never rejected
I am God's child!      

Activist Hermene Hartman reflected on working with Rev. Jesse Jackson on his presidential campaign. 

Harman called Jackson "fearless" and "confrontational" as he found racism and "lifted the Black veil." She said, despite the mourning period, it is time to celebrate his life. 

"Thank God for the People's Service because he would love it," Hartman said. "I can hear him saying, 'Look at the people.'" 

A sudden flurry of phones being whipped out on the floor of House of Hope signaled the arrival of three former presidents who are in Chicago to pay tribute to Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Former President Barack Obama, Former President Bill Clinton and Former President Joe Biden slowly made their way through the crowd, along with former first lady Dr. Jill Biden, Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Former Vice President Kamala Harris, shaking hands and greeting people as onlookers recorded and they were ushered to their front row seats. 

Meanwhile, on the pulpit, Rev. James T. Meeks and Dr. Carl Jenkins led the crowd in a rousing call-and-response reading of Rev. Jesse Jackson's signature poem, "I Am — Somebody."

Ryan Baker speaks with his father about the influence Rev. Jesse Jackson had on him and his career. 

He remembers marching with Jackson, fighting against discrimination on multiple occasions. 

"I'm proud of the fact that I did get a chance to march with, we called him Jesse affectionately, Rev. Jackson," He said, "I got the chance to march with him to the Cook County Jail from the South Side of Chicago." 

Pastor Charlie Dates kicked off "The People's Celebration" by calling those in attendance to come to church. 

"Thank you Jesus!" he exclaimed. "Thank you for the life of Rev. Jackson. Thank you for every door that's been opened. Thank you for every bill that's been paid. Thank you for every way that's been made!"

As his invocations crescendoed, so did the music behind him and the Legacy Mass Choir broke into a rousing gospel performance to start the homegoing services.

Rev. Jesse Jackson's supporters of all ages are lined up to pay their respects. 

Dorothy Tucker spoke with one of the youngest supporters, who she said is witnessing history. 

Former IL Gov. Rod  Blagojevich reflected on his political career with Rev. Jesse Jackson. 

Blagojevich said after he was released from prison, his first calls were to his family and Jackson. 

"I called my wife, my daughters and Rev. Jesse Jackson," Blagojevich said.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump counted Rev. Jesse Jackson as both a mentor and colleague, and expressed his appreciation for the man and the icon as he entered House of Hope.

"Rev. Jesse Jackson was the standard-bearer for civil rights throughout my life. I'm 55 years old and all my life Jesse Jackson led us. He was the trailblazer we all followed," Crump said. "Even when his health started to decline his spirit never left, and that's why you se so many of his mentees that he had his handprint on all here to pay respects, even presidents of the United States."

"He not only was our mentor, he was my friend, my fraternity brother," he added. "He always an inspiration."

And Crump shared some advice that Jackson gave him in the courtroom as they fought legal battles for civil rights together.

"You don't drown because the water's deep, you drown because you stop kicking," Crump recalled him saying. "I don't care how the odd are against you, don't ever stop kicking."

Jesse Jackson, Jr., stopped to speak with us on his way into House of Hope and said he finds himself thinking about his father even more in this moment in American history.

"When you think about what's taking place in the world right now, bombings in the Middle East, hostages potentially being held and people who cannot get home, I'm saying to myself, in this moment, if there was someone who was brave enough to go save men and women abroad in this climate, with would be the Reverend Jesse Jackson," he said. 

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin called Jackson a "force in politics" as he stopped to reflect on his way into House of Hope.

"When you think of the people that he inspired to public service and to help others, the legacy is still there and growing, and I think we're here to say thanks," Durbin said. "Thanks to his family, his wife and his children, of course, but thanks to all the people who stood by him."

"It's hard to remember he was a controversial figure," Durbin added. "There were people who didn't like him at all."

Jackson began his political career in the civil rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s, which is when Durbin said he first met him, and garnered as many criticisms for his work as he did accolades. But Durbin said he was never deterred from his mission.

"He was a force in politics," the senator said. "He was on my speed dial, I was on his. He never hesitated to call me regularly with advice. Sometimes I was happy to hear it, sometimes not, but that's who he was."

Dorthy Tucker spoke with supporters who have been waiting hours in line outside the House of Hope ahead of the services starting at 11 a.m.

Tucker spoke with a woman waiting in line who said she was introduced to Rainbow PUSH at age 11.  

"I grew up with Rev. Jesse Jackson," She said. "Rev. Jesse Jackson invited my entire family to the headquarters, we had our family reunion there.  

She told CBS News Chicago, "Keep hope alive." 

A line of possibly severe thunderstorms is barreling toward Chicago, but that hasn't deterred thousands of people from lining up to get into House of Hope for "The People's Celebration." In fact, most said there's nowhere else they'd rather be.

"Rev. Jesse Jackson is our hero," said South Sider Kenneth Blow Sr. "I met him at the Fellowship Baptist Church through Rev. Clay Evans. I've been knowing him since I was 7 years old."

"Jesse Jackson is an icon. He is beloved. He is going home to be with his father," Blow added.

Joining the growing list of political dignitaries attending the Jackson funeral, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg arrived at House of Hope shortly after 9:30 a.m.

Buttigieg did not stop to speak to reporters before entering the church. He was with a security detail. 

Buttigieg also served as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and was a Democratic candidate for president in 2020 before Pres. Joe Biden tapped him to head the Dept. of Transportation in his administration. 

We caught up with former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot outside House of Hope in Chicago as people lined up to enter before the service begins. She wasn't surprised to see the crowds.

"We could have a stadium that fit 20,000 or more and we would fill it all," she said. 

Lightfoot reflected on Jackson's legacy in Chicago, saying his impact on the city was "immeasurable."

"Truly immeasurable," she said. "I think the fact that he was based here in Chicago was a source of great pride for many. I think it made a statement about the importance of Chicago in the civil rights history of this country. And he was very civically engaged. Yes, he was an international diplomat and someone who was known across the world, but he was someone who was engaged in local civic life and we're the better for it."

Lightfoot said she didn't think there ever would be another Rev. Jesse Jackson, but that his legacy would live on.

"He prepared many of us through his words and deeds to take the baton and run the next leg," she said. 

Jackson's funeral will feature a star-studded list of speakers. 

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will deliver remarks, as will Rev. Al Sharpton, basketball star Isaiah Thomas, and Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts.  His widow, Dr. Jacqueline Jackson, will speak, and all of Jackson's children will also speak or perform; his sons Jesse Jackson Jr. and Rep. Jonathan Jackson will deliver remarks, while daughter Santita Jackson will perform "To God be the Glory."

But the biggest names come from the political world, a nod not just to Jackson's status as an icon of the Civil Rights movement, but a two-time Democratic presidential candidate who came in second place at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. 

U.S. Reps. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (D-Illinois) and Maxine Waters (D-California) will both deliver remarks, as will former Vice President Kamala Harris, and Former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden. 

The procession for Rev. Jesse Jackson is now heading to the House of Hope ahead of funeral services on Friday morning. 

Supporters are lined up outside the House of Hope awaiting Jackson's arrival. 

Street closures took effect at 7 a.m. ahead of funeral services at the House of Hope for Rev. Jesse Jackson. 

Temporary street closures are expected between 111th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue and 115th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue. 

CTA buses operating on 11th Street and on Cottage Grove will be impacted on Friday. This includes bus No. 4 Cottage Grove, No. 111A Pullman and No. 115 Pullman/ Cottage Grove. 

Check CTA's special event service alerts here. 

In just a few hours, the House of Hope will become the center of a national tribute as family, civil rights leaders, and public officials gather to celebrate the life of Reverend Jesse Jackson.

Security preparations are underway ahead of the services starting at 11 a.m.