Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Chicago funeral: The Rundown

Good afternoon! It’s Friday, and keep an umbrella handy this weekend because today’s springlike weather is expected to continue. Here’s what else you need to know today.

1. Thousands gathered to celebrate the life of Rev. Jesse Jackson at his Chicago funeral

Former Presidents Joe Biden, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were among those in attendance today, along with former Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson.

During his speech, Obama said it’s “tempting for some to compromise with power" or to simply put your head down.

“But this man,” Obama said pointing to Jackson’s casket, “Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson, inspires us to take a harder path. His voice called on each of us to be heralds of change, to be messengers of hope, to step forward and say, ‘Send me wherever we have a chance to make an impact, whether it’s in our schools, our workplaces, our neighborhoods, our cities, not for faith, not for glory or because success is guaranteed, but because it gives our life purpose.’”

Homegoing services for the late civil rights leader began at 11 a.m. at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and should last several hours. Along with speeches from Jackson’s family and prominent public figures, the event will feature musical performances, including from Chicago native Jennifer Hudson. You can follow my colleagues’ live updates in the link. [WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times]

This ends a series of events honoring Jackson. Last week, he lied in state in South Carolina, where Jackson was born. Services in Washington, D.C., were postponed. Jackson will be buried at Oak Woods Cemetery on the South Side. [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. Some Cook County Board commissioners skip more than 20% of their meetings

My WBEZ colleagues compiled and analyzed attendance records from 800 public meetings since the four-year term began in December 2022, finding the sitting commissioners who did not show up with the greatest frequency were Stanley Moore, Bridget Gainer and Kisha McCaskill.

Moore was reported absent at 131 of 487 meetings he was supposed to attend over the three years and three months since the county board was sworn in for a new term in early December 2022 — an absentee rate of nearly 27%. He hadn’t missed many meetings when taking office in 2013 but was the primary caregiver for three family members with serious illnesses over the past few years, Moore told WBEZ.

Among incumbent board members, Gainer had the second-worst record, missing nearly 23% of her meetings. But that represented an improvement compared to her truancy rate between 2013 and 2018, when she missed nearly a third of the meetings she was expected to be present. She told WBEZ she would strive to continue improving her attendance.

In the first 13 months after joining the board, McCaskill was supposed to be at 201 meetings but was absent 43 times, according to the minutes from those sessions. That represented an absenteeism rate of 21%. She did not return messages. [WBEZ]

3. Tenants near the Obama Presidential Center are battling to stay in their building as its sale nears

Amid neighborhood concerns about gentrification, residents of a Woodlawn building said they’ve been told a prospective owner is offering low-income renters $2,000 to move out, Esther Yoon-Ji Kang reports for WBEZ.

Residents of the Chaney Braggs Apartments, located blocks from the soon-to-open presidential center, have formed a tenant union.

“Now that the Obama Center is coming, all of these new buyers want to come in, and they want to take over the land that has already been here and kick out the people that have been here,” resident Kyana Butler said at a news conference yesterday. “I want to stay right where I’m at. I don’t want to be forced out. I want to be able to let my daughter stay here, and then I want her to grow up in the same building.”

WBEZ wasn’t able to reach Chaney Braggs Apartments’ prospective owner for comment. [WBEZ]

4. Aspira will soon have no teachers or money, yet CPS is struggling to close the charter school network

Layoff notices went out to about 60 teachers and staff this week, saying Chicago Public Schools will transition students out of Aspira’s two Northwest Side high schools and the district “will not provide any further funding for the operation of these schools.”

But in those notices, Aspira leaders also said they hope the school closures are “temporary.” The network also launched a crowdfunding campaign so students can finish the school year at Aspira. This effort has raised $2,000 in the six days since launching — well short of the millions needed to continue paying teachers for the next few months.

“The Illinois Charter School Law explicitly states that, ‘no local school board may arbitrarily or capriciously revoke or not renew a charter” and “revocation shall take place at the end of a school year,’” a CPS spokesperson told WBEZ in an email.

As my colleague Sarah Karp reports, the unprecedented situation causes confusion for about 545 students facing the prospect of finding a new school just months before the end of the year. It has also fueled an ongoing debate about the adequacy of charter school funding and raised questions about accountability. [WBEZ]

5. In ‘Messy Lola,’ Cynthia Kaye McWilliams stars in a vehicle of her own design

The local actress possesses a creative range that displays the multifaceted nature of Black women, WBEZ arts contributor Candace McDuffie writes. McWilliams’ latest project, a comedy-drama series titled “Messy Lola,” premiered last month and hones in on her layered identity.

The 10-episode series was filmed entirely in Chicago and follows Lola as she deals with motherhood, dating and undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder. McWilliams, a DePaul University Theatre School alum, has done everything from flexing her comedic chops in Kevin Hart’s hit series “The Real Husbands of Hollywood” to portraying an earnest detective on Amazon’s “Bosch.” Episodes of the show can be purchased through messylola.com for $2.99 each; new episodes are released every two weeks.

“‘Messy Lola’ has literally been my dream come true. Your whole life as an actor — because you’re front-facing, people think that you’re the star,” McWilliams said. “But in the world of film and television, truthfully, you are at the bottom of the totem pole.” [WBEZ]

Here’s what else is happening

• The U.S. economy lost 92,000 jobs last month, with factories, construction companies and the federal government all shedding workers. [NPR]
• Here’s a 3D model of Trump’s plan for the White House’s East Wing, which upends the building’s symmetry. [New York Times]
• “The Bride!” is making some film experts think about why so few women have adapted author Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” [CNN]
• Need a mental spring break? This month’s book highlights offer readers an escape. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

After years of saying I don’t have a green thumb, I got really into plants last year. Somehow, I’ve only had a couple casualties (RIP to the venus flytrap and dracaena) and a dozen Google searches about why my monstera is growing weird.

With another spring quickly approaching, many of us are thinking about gardening — indoors or outdoors — and what new plants to buy. WBEZ’s “Say More” recently heard some tips on the subject.

As Eliza Fournier, director of the College of Lake County’s Urban Farm Center, told my colleagues Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith, right now is a great time to plant seeds indoors to prepare for summer — but keep in mind how much of a particular vegetable you’ll actually consume. And some great news for those of us still getting the hang of this hobby: It’s normal to kill some plants.

You can hear the full conversation, with more tips from Chicago-area residents, in the link. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

What was your favorite movie acting performance from the past year?

Justin writes:

“I have to say: While Benicio is great in ‘One Battle After Another,’ I adore him as the awful but atoning father in ‘The Phoenician Scheme.’ He somehow manages to pull you to his side by the end of the movie.”

Thanks for all the responses this week! It was great hearing from everyone.