Kennedy-King College Renaming Proposal Seeks to Add Rev. Jesse Jackson

As of March 17, 2026, 9:30 AM, Ald. Stephanie Coleman has signaled plans to ask the City Colleges board to add the name of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. to Kennedy-King College, proposing the new designation “Kennedy-King-Jackson College.”

Coleman’s resolution, to be introduced at an upcoming City Council meeting, formally requests that the City Colleges board take the administrative and legal steps necessary to effect the change for the school at 6301 S. Halsted in the Englewood neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. The 1969 renaming of the former Woodrow Wilson Junior College honored Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., who were both assassinated in 1968.

The draft resolution describes Jackson as a longtime advocate for voting, economic and educational justice, noting he died last month at age 84 and that he made two presidential bids and secured the release of hostages abroad. It also highlights his frequent presence at the college and his role in promoting the “I Am Somebody” spirit among students.

U.S. Rep. Jonathon Jackson said he has not yet decided how best to honor his father and asked for time to consider the proposal. State Rep. Kam Buckner has separately proposed renaming a stretch of the Dan Ryan Expressway for Jackson, and chronicled Jackson’s history of civil-rights activism — including a 2018 Dan Ryan protest that drew national attention.