Highlights from Jesse Jackson's funeral

I am-- --somebody.

--somebody. I am-- I am-- --somebody. --somebody!

Respect me. Respect me.

Protect me. Protect me. Never neglect me.

Never neglect me. Keep hope--

Keep hope-- --alive.

--alive!

Keep hope-- Keep hope--

--alive! Alive! Reverend Jackson would say, let me hear you scream! [CHEERING] I want to apologize in advance to Governor Gavin Newsom, California, Governor Wes Moore, Maryland. Come on. Clap your hands and let's celebrate them. So grateful to have you. I want to apologize in advance as I introduce the governor of the greatest state in these United States of America, Governor JB Pritzker. [CHEERING] You said it. [LAUGHTER] [RELAXING MUSIC] And you could feel his spirit in the movements for justice that have grown from the seeds that he tilled. Now, to the world, Jesse Jackson was an ambassador of hope for the oppressed who met with kings and queens and presidents and dictators and clergy of all the great religions. But here in Chicago, he was our neighbor. [CHEERING] He was our friend. We were so proud. We are so proud. Here, his message of hope was one he offered in a friendly smile to the child playing in front of their home or the tap on the shoulder for the young man looking for just a little bit of encouragement. He taught us to expand our ambitions and dare to imagine a better world and to be kind and decent to one another. He brought enormous pride to the people of this city and this state. [APPLAUSE] And on a more personal note, it has been an honor that my relatively short time in public office overlapped with Reverend Jackson's long tenure. And let me assure all of those who are here today that even as his body started to fail him, the reverend's mind remained sharp. He never failed-- never failed-- to pull me aside at an event to ask about something in the news or offer a word of advice or encouragement. He was politically connected. He 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, Reverend Jackson belonged to Chicago. [CHEERING] And Chicago belonged to him. [APPLAUSE] He was ours, and we were his. One quick story-- Reverend Jackson may have been the most competitive individual that I've ever met. So a few years ago, we were wrapping up a meeting on the West Side of Chicago at Reverend Johnny Miller's church. And Zeke, we started talking about football. And at that time, Lamar Jackson was on his way to becoming the MVP of the National Football League. And I looked at Reverend, and I said, now there's a Jackson that's really making a name for himself. [LAUGHTER] And you know, Reverend did not like that. And he looked at me and he said, I played that position. [LAUGHTER] And he said, you know, I was better than Lamar Jackson. [LAUGHTER] Zeke-- true story. He said he might be taller, faster, and stronger, but I'm better than him. [LAUGHTER] And I said, Reverend, well, that doesn't leave too many more categories to determine greatness. And I said, in all seriousness, what makes you better? He said, because of my instincts. See, in sports, you hear about how athletes have a good feel for the game, something innate that can't be coached that allows them to read the field and make split-second decisions that ultimately position their team to win. Reverend will be remembered, certainly, as an incredible oratory champion. But to the people in Chicago, we knew him as a brilliant strategist, a master negotiator, an organizing savant. His instincts-- see, he didn't shy away from the painful realities of racism and hatred. But he had a God-given ability to bring people in, to encourage them in, and to enlist them into the fight of our collective liberation. It was his instincts that understood that labor and faith were one and the same, as Dr. King prophesied. It was his instincts to stand up against school closures and the shuttering of mental health clinics. It was his instincts that led protests down Michigan Avenue when a boy's life was taken by a police officer and then government decided to cover it up. It was his instincts. It was his instincts to run in '84 and '88 but not in '92 to make way for somebody in the Deep South and a brother on the South Side to become president of these United States. It was his instincts. [APPLAUSE] See, I had the privilege to accompany Reverend to Selma one year. And while we were there, he recounted the days and weeks that were spent organizing to get folks to walk with them across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. And he said now that history has proven us to be right, he said that everybody and they mama was on that bridge. [LAUGHTER] But he knew the struggle from going town to town. And he was calling people out of isolation and into community, understanding that the bridge is a symbol that burdens all of us. It's what connected us. It's what was waiting for us on the other side. He had a feel. His instincts understood that that bridge was a representation of the cross. And one of my most triumphant moments, he's running for president, 1988. We trying to beat the Lakers. We trying to dethrone the Lakers. My father-in-law, Gordon Kendall, is head of Secret Service for the family. We get a call midnight, 1:00 in the morning. Hey, I'm coming to the game. I said, how are you going to get to the game? You running for president. No, I'm coming to-- who just said he was the most popular man in the world in 1988? Who just said that? Was that you? 1988, he's the most popular man in the world. And he coming to my game. [APPLAUSE] [RELAXING MUSIC] He shows up at the game in my most triumphant moment. We win. He walks in. And he kneels, and he says a prayer. Then he lifted me up on those big, broad shoulders again. And he left. Years later, my mother passed away. And when my mother died, all of Chicago came out, represented, showed up. And we were at our lowest moment. And Reverend Jackson walked into the church. [APPLAUSE] I remember sitting there with my brothers and sisters. And it was like this man-- [APPLAUSE] --this man who's been there my whole life-- when we didn't know what to say, what to do on that day-- we had no words for my mama. That man walked up to the stage and said, I got this. [CHEERING] And he sent my mama off, beautiful words and everything else. While we were at our lowest, again, he came, and he lifted us up on those broad shoulders. [APPLAUSE] I got to know the reverend and his family over the years. And as I watched his children follow his example of service, I came to appreciate the conviction that drove him that he had passed on, the faith that guided him and that he had passed on. And it was a faith that didn't waver, a flame that burned bright, even as his body began to fail. The last time he and I had a chance to visit in person, he was already ailing. It was getting difficult for him to stand, difficult for him to speak. We're in Hyde Park in a hotel room. I embraced him and figured we'd just have a low-key visit. Maybe he needs some rest. And he starts coming up with this project and this initiative and issues I needed to look into. And here's some commentary that he would suggest and some phrasing that he thought might work. And maybe we might co-write an article and-- [LAUGHTER]

Take your time, Mr. President. And listening to him, I couldn't help smiling. Because it took me back. And I started reminiscing with him about those Saturday mornings at PUSH and the breakfast that he'd host, away from the full meeting. And I didn't get a chance to go to that until I was a state senator. And probably Meeks invited me. So I was like-- you know, I was tagging along with Meeks. And he'd pull out a piece of paper. He'd scribbled some stuff. And he'd start passing out assignments and pulling together working groups and asking for updates on the latest campaign. And I'll admit-- let's face it-- those sessions could run a little long and did not always follow Robert's Rules of Order. [LAUGHTER] But when Jesse called your name and acknowledged you in that room, especially if you were young, especially if you were just coming up, especially if you weren't sure you could pull off what you thought you might be able to do, especially when you needed help-- when he did that, you stood up a little straighter. You knew you'd been seen by this giant. He'd laid hands on you and let you know you had a contribution to make. And so that day, I told him how much that meant to me and how much it had meant to so many lives that he impacted. And I told him thank you because I'd always be grateful for that legacy of hope. [APPLAUSE] I know I've gone long. It was going to be much shorter until Isaiah spoke. [LAUGHTER] I figure if a Detroit Piston can take up that much time-- [CHEERING] It was beautiful. And I mean that. [APPLAUSE] Love me some Isaiah. Ladies and gentlemen, the 46th president of the United States-- please welcome President Joseph Biden. [CHEERING]

Get it, Joe! [APPLAUSE] [CHEERING] Thank you. I think that clock is broken. [LAUGHTER] I'll try to keep this under two minutes. I knew Jesse. We were both young. I'm only 83. [LAUGHTER] What the hell you laughing at? That's just 40 times 2 plus. [LAUGHTER] But all kidding aside, we came up through the same time. I knew Jesse, and history remembers him. I knew him as determined and tenacious. I knew him as underrated, undeterred, and unafraid, not a joke. And more than most, Jesse was dedicated with every fiber in his being to redeeming the soul of America, the soul of America. Jesse came up and I came up together as leaders in the Democratic Party. We had very different backgrounds, and in some cases, even different views, but never on race. Sometimes we went toe to toe. We disagreed on some issues. But that's what I actually admired most about Jesse, his passion. He was passionate, his passion, the courage of his convictions. His courage inspired a hell of a lot of us, even though we were the same age. With his captivating presence, his stirring words, it would be easy for history to mistake Jesse for a firebrand. But I think they'd get it wrong. Jesse certainly created his fair share of good trouble. But through decades of service, Jesse's abiding message is one of unity. That's what he talked about. Through decades of service, Jesse's abiding message of unity move people in the right direction. Above all, he always sought common ground. As I listened and thought about, everyone quoted the slogan of Reverend Jackson. But I want to, in my few minutes-- and if you take Brother Biden's minutes and other minutes, I come out of the Jackson school of thought. They told me four minutes, which means eight in Jacksonian language. [LAUGHTER] But I never will forget 1994. We went to Dakar, Senegal. And James Meeks and Jesse Jr. And I had dinner with him that night. And that's where he said, Al, Meeks, Jesse Jr, y'all are my disciples. And we said, disciples? [LAUGHTER] And for years, we joked to each other. I'd come in the room, and Junior say, here's disciple number 1. And Meeks-- [LAUGHTER] But discipleship meant you carried forth the vision. It's been an honor to know all of you. But I want to say something, highly personal tonight. I came to truly love Jesse Jackson. And we had more in common than he thought. We were both two guys who were born to single mothers living in the South. And so I got to watch this guy. And frankly, the first time we met was at the 20th anniversary of the celebration of the integration of Little Rock Central High School. And some young people may not even know why that's important. But in the 1920s, that school was voted the most beautiful high school in America. During the whole time I was governor of Arkansas, that one school accounted for 25% of our Merit Scholars. You could go there and study Latin and Greek, which was a pretty big deal out in the country, in addition to all the science and math. So they were celebrating the 20th anniversary, and Jesse showed up to help them. But he was always asking himself, what can we use the observation of a past victory for to get something done today? So by the late '70s, all these medium-sized and little towns in the middle of the country were being flooded with drugs. All these folks were facing more vigorous law enforcement on the coast, but they were coming in. And I kept thinking, I know Jesse Jackson's going to know this, and he's going to say something. And I just want to be there. And I was a 29-year-old attorney general. And Hillary, a Chicago girl, was-- [CHEERING] She was practicing law and supporting us because the salary was almost nonexistent. So Jesse gets up in front of this crowd of kids. And their eyes were big as dollars. And he said, you owe a lot to the Little Rock Nine who integrated this school. You owe a lot to Daisy Bates and the other people who supported them. You owe a lot to the people who were there long before them. You cannot take this achievement and throw it away on drugs. And then he said-- I'll never forget it. And I thought, where are all the conservatives when you need them to cheer? Jesse Jackson looked at these kids, and he said, you have to open your brains, not your veins. And I thought to myself-- [APPLAUSE] --no matter how long I live and stay in politics, I may never have a single line that's that good. [LAUGHTER] I don't think I've ever told anybody this. When the Congress was trying to run me out and I was in that big impeachment fight, Jesse called me one night in the White House. I thought he was calling me. 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 other stuff. And 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. And-- [APPLAUSE] --a lot of people, it would never even have occurred to them to do that. So I'm here more as a friend than a former president. He was my friend when I needed him. [APPLAUSE] And I ask you to ask yourself how you can do more by being a better friend and a more effective one. God bless you and thank you. Good afternoon. Good afternoon, everyone. Mrs. Jackie, and to the entire Jackson family, on behalf of Doug and my family, we pray with you, as we did a couple weeks ago in your home. And we thank you. I thank you. So let me just say I predicted a lot about what's happening right now. [CHEERING] I'm not into saying I told you so, but we did see it coming. But what I did not predict is that we would not have Jesse Jackson with us right now to help us get through this.