Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. to Lie in State at South Carolina State House

Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. will lie in state at the South Carolina State House on Monday, March 2, 2026. The body of the South Carolina native and civil rights leader will lie in his home state at the request of the Jackson family and members of the South Carolina General Assembly.

According to news reports, Governor Henry McMaster ordered flags atop the State House to be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset that day to honor Jackson's legacy and memory.

Officials are coordinating the arrangements with the Jackson family. Additional details will come at a later date.

Jackson died on February 17 at 84 years old after battling a rare neurological disorder. The illness affected his ability to move and talk.

The civil rights leader and activist was born in 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina. He was born on Haynie St. just outside Downtown and now a portion of the street will receive a new name in his honor.

While growing up in South Carolina, Jackson was the quarterback at a segregated Sterling High School. H eled seven other Black classmates into the whites-only public library in South Carolina in 1960. This was just the start of a long civil rights career for Jackson.