‘No matter the race, the color, he was just there for people,” Rosalyn McRay-Lester said.

Some honored his efforts for working people like Lisa Rock, who recalled Jackson fighting for fair wages in Ohio.

“He was a big presence in my home, and everyone in my town would say that,” Rock said.

“I know my father is smiling in heaven right now, beachside,” son Yusef Jackson said. “He loved talking about his work. It’s helped heal us and stay strong.”

Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, was among the ministers to offer prayers Thursday.

“We need to stand together in these moments to let people know that we are one and what human solidarity is all about,” Cupich said.

A number of dignitaries also stopped by PUSH headquarters Thursday to pay their respects, including Rev. Al Sharpton, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and a number of other elected officials.

Rev. Jackson Sr.’s impact was widespread, his work touching the lives of many and inspiring countless elected leaders through the years. They came to pay tribute to Rev. Jackson as they called for people to honor his legacy, by continuing his work.

In a testimony to Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson Sr., well over a thousand people stood in line for hours for the opportunity to honor his six decades of work on civil rights, increasing voter access, lifting up the forgotten.

Mayor Johnson joined Rev. Sharpton and other dignitaries who met with members of the Jackson family before the doors to PUSH Headquarters opened to the general public. ABC7 spoke one-on-one with Mayor Johnson about his reflections on the day.

“Well, first of all, we are grieving and mourning the loss of an incredible human being,” Johnson said. “Our prayers are with Mrs. Jackson, their children and grandchildren. But yet, we’re celebrating we’re celebrating a true humanitarian.”

“I became Reverend Jackson’s youth director when I was 13 for the New York chapel, we spent a lifetime together,” Rev. Sharpton said. “I’ve seen him stand up against adversity. I’ve seen him bring history.”

While Jackson lay in repose inside PUSH Headquarters, video screens replayed clips from some famous speeches the civil rights icon gave through the years.

“You know, when I was a little boy, he told me I was somebody,” Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry said. “I grew older, he told me to keep hope alive. For the last seven years, as I’ve served as commissioner, we got to partner on structural racism, disinvestment, but also voter registration.”

Jackson’s two presidential campaigns, in 1984 and 1988, led to a surge in voter registration and people from all walks of life joined his Rainbow Coalition.

“It’s beautiful to see so many people walking through this service, people of all different colors, all different types of folks, right?” Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said. “And, I think that it’s a testament to how many lives he touched.”

Leaders say one important way people can honor Jackson’s legacy is keep alive the hope he championed.

“As we battle in this moment for our humanity, it’s imperative that we don’t just honor him on this day, but that we live out the hope that he fought for, and whether that’s in government and politics or whether that’s in the corporations and everybody gets to play a part,” Johnson said.

Other well-know leaders attended the first day of honoring Rev. Jackson included former Congressman Bobby Rush, Cardinal Blase Cupich, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Chicago Ald. Brendan Reilly.

The full schedule of services is as follows:

Thursday, Feb. 26
Lying in State at Rainbow PUSH Coalition
Location: 930 E. 50th St., Chicago, IL 60615
Doors open: 10 a.m.