Jesse Jackson Legacy and Honors

Rev. Al Sharpton sharply criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson after Johnson’s office denied a request for civil rights leader Jesse Jackson to "lie in honor" at the Capitol Rotunda, saying the office cited precedent that the designation is typically reserved for former presidents, military leaders and noting past denials for figures like Dick Cheney and Charlie Kirk. Sharpton argued Congress has previously broken precedent for civilians such as Billy Graham and Rosa Parks, insisted Jackson "belongs on that list," called the decision an insult to Jackson’s widow Jacqueline Lavinia Brown and "millions of Americans across the rainbow," and recalled serving as Jackson’s youth director in New York.