HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – Gov. Josh Shapiro just ordered U.S. and Commonwealth flags to be flown at half-staff next Saturday in honor of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died last week.
Shapiro said flags on all federal facilities, public buildings and grounds in Pennsylvania will be flown at half-staff on Saturday, March 7, until sunset.
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The memorial service will be held in conjunction with the final day of the memorial service for Rev. Jackson.
“The Rev. Jesse Jackson was a civil rights activist and Baptist minister who supported the civil rights movement,” Shapiro’s office explained. “During his career of service, Rev. Jackson visited Pennsylvania countless times to advocate for labor and civil rights throughout the commonwealth—from Pittsburgh and Erie to Harrisburg and Philadelphia.”
The Rev. Jesse Jackson last visited the Commonwealth in October 2024, when he was hosted by the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus.
In a post on X, Governor Shapiro said the following:
“Pastor Jesse Jackson was a changemaker, a groundbreaker, and a passionate and relentless fighter for civil rights, equality and opportunity. Being around him felt like living history. It was an honor to share the pulpit with him at Sharon Baptist Church in West Philadelphia in September 2016. I hung on his every word and could feel what his presence meant to the congregation. Lori and I are praying for his wife Jacqueline, his family, and his family. May the memory of Rev. Jesse Jackson be a blessing.”
Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson dies at 84
Rev. Jackson’s family revealed that the civil rights leader died on February 17 after battling a neurodegenerative disease called progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). He is 84 years old.
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