Civil Rights Icon Jesse Jackson to Be Honored at South Carolina Capitol

The late Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. will lie in state at the South Carolina Statehouse next Monday, returning to his home state where his activism began. Jackson, who died Feb. 17 at age 84, started his civil rights journey as a high school student challenging segregation at his local library.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The late Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. will receive a final tribute at the South Carolina State Capitol, returning to his birthplace where his journey as a civil rights champion first began during his teenage years when he fought to desegregate his hometown library.

Governor Henry McMaster has confirmed that Jackson’s remains will lie in state at the South Carolina Statehouse this coming Monday, with additional arrangements to be announced at a later time.

The renowned activist passed away on February 17 at the age of 84, following his struggle with a uncommon neurological condition that impaired his mobility and speech.

This week, Jackson’s body will first lie in repose at his Rainbow PUSH Coalition offices in Chicago. Following the South Carolina ceremony, his remains will travel to Washington, D.C., for additional memorial events. A large public memorial service is scheduled for March 6 at Chicago’s House of Hope, a venue that accommodates 10,000 people, with private funeral services planned for the following day at Rainbow PUSH headquarters, which will be broadcast online.

Jackson entered the world in 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina, in a modest home on Haynie Street near the city center. City officials plan to rename part of that street to commemorate his legacy.

As the starting quarterback for the all-Black Sterling High School, Jackson made history in 1960 when he guided seven fellow African American students into Greenville’s segregated public library, where they quietly read until police took them into custody.

This bold action launched an extraordinary civil rights journey that would see Jackson become a close associate of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., participating in the historic voting rights demonstration from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

Jackson later sought the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination during the 1984 and 1988 election cycles.

His activism in South Carolina continued throughout his life, including his 2003 campaign urging Greenville County officials to recognize the federal Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, and his 2015 efforts to remove the Confederate battle flag from the State Capitol grounds following the tragic racist massacre of nine African American churchgoers in Charleston.