SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) released the following statement in response to the death of Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr.:

“Today we lost one of the towering giants of the American civil rights movement. Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. gave his life to the cause of justice, equality and the dignity of every human being – and the world is immeasurably better because of it. He stood with Dr. King, he ran for the presidency and proved that a Black man could compete on the national stage, and for decades he was a steady moral voice reminding this country of the work still left to do.

“I have had the privilege of meeting Reverend Jackson and that encounter has stayed with me ever since. He took a moment to speak to me and told me every seat at the table we earn is a seat we must use to pull someone else up. That was the essence of who he was – a teacher, a challenger and an encourager of the next generation. I carry his words and his example into this work every single day, and I am committed to honoring his legacy by continuing to fight for the people he spent his life defending. May he rest in peace.”