Obama, Biden and Clinton expected at Jesse Jackson’s Chicago Homegoing service

Former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden are expected to attend the public Homegoing service for Rev. Jesse Jackson at Chicago’s House of Hope on Friday, a gathering that caps two weeks of memorials for the civil rights leader who died Feb. 17 at 84.

Doors open to the public at 9:00 a.m. and the service begins at 11:00 a.m. at the House of Hope, 752 E. 114th St., on the city’s South Side. Organizers say seating is general admission; the venue holds roughly 10,000 people and all attendees will be screened through security. The family has asked people to arrive early and to bring only small bags to expedite entry.

The Friday public service, dubbed by organizers "The People’s Celebration" and described in local notices as a Homegoing, will be co-officiated by Dr. Charles Jenkins and Rev. James T. Meeks. City and state officials named as speakers include Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters. Tom Ricketts, owner of the Chicago Cubs, and several civic leaders are also listed among participants.

Musical tributes are slated to feature Jennifer Hudson, Bebe Winans and Pastor Marvin Winans during the public service. A private, invitation-only Celebration of Life at Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters, 930 E. 50th St., is scheduled for Saturday and will include performances by Marvin Sapp, Hezekiah Walker and Terisa Griffin; a music tribute by Stevie Wonder has been reported in program notices for that event.

Organizers and local broadcasters have arranged multiple viewing options for those who cannot attend in person. NBC 5 will livestream Friday’s service on its platforms, and the Jackson family is streaming services at JesseJacksonLegacy.com. CBS Chicago will also provide a live player for the service.

Family representatives have urged Chicagoans to attend in person. "Come," Dates said. "Don't let this just be a moment you watch on television or stream. Show up. We will never have another moment to celebrate such a world-changing leader like this one." The appeal frames the services as both a civic moment and a public memorial to Jackson’s decades of organizing and electoral engagement.

Jackson’s death was attributed to progressive supranuclear palsy, the degenerative neurologic condition identified by family and medical statements. The Chicago services follow public and private memorials in Columbia, South Carolina, and Washington, D.C., where crowds paid respects and family members held lying-in-state events.

The Jackson family has invited other national figures; local reporting notes invitations extended to former President Donald Trump and former President George W. Bush, though their attendance remains unclear. Several high-profile officials listed as expected to attend have not issued independent confirmations.

Logistics authorities warn that traffic and security measures around the House of Hope and Rainbow PUSH headquarters will affect travel on the Far South Side through the weekend. With the House of Hope’s seating limited to about 10,000, organizers and city officials emphasize that many who wish to pay respects will need to rely on livestreams or plan for early arrival to gain entrance.