NEWS: New Jesse Jackson Jr. urged attendees to keep his father’s memorial respectful and politics-free. Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, & Al Sharpton then proceeded to turn the memorial service into a political rally, taking aim at conservatives and Republican policies…see more

“Each day, we wake up to some new assault on our democratic institutions, another setback to the idea of the rule of law, an offense to ​common decency,” Obama said.

Obama, other Democratic dignitaries and religious leaders urged hundreds of attendees to honor Jackson, an advocate for voting rights ​and desegregation, by continuing his fight for equality and justice.

The memorial at the House of Hope, a 10,000-seat venue on Chicago’s South Side, celebrated Jackson with a choir performing gospel songs while attendees stood, clapped and sang ​along.

Some attendees arrived hours before the service and waited outside in a line that wrapped around the arena.