East St. Louis street to be renamed after pastor who was an ‘icon in the community’

Jeromene Jackson remembers specific details about April 21, a day that “changed my world forever”.

That day, Jackson got out of bed at 7:45 a.m., her usual wake-up time, and noticed the dining room light wasn’t on. Jackson, 40, said her dad would always turn that light on in the morning.

“I said, ‘Oh maybe he had an early doctor’s appointment or something,’ Jackson, who lives with her mom and dad in East St. Louis, said. “Never thinking that when I came downstairs, the whole world was gonna change. I go to the window and looked outside and saw that his car was still there. I thought, ‘Well, maybe he just didn’t feel like turning the lights on.’ I got to the bottom of the steps, and my mom met me there and she said, ‘I think your dad is gone.’”

Rev. Jerome Jackson I, Sr., 75, of Southern Mission Missionary Baptist Church in East St. Louis, had suffered a heart attack and died while in his sleep.

Last week, East St. Louis City Council approved an ordinance to rename North 28th Street, the side street where the church is located, in honor of the late pastor.

Antoinette Redd-Longstreet started the petition for the street to be renamed shortly after Jackson’s passing. Redd-Longstreet, a church board member, has wanted a street named after her pastor for a long time.

“When he was alive, we tried to do it some years ago,” Redd-Longstreet said. “He was just that type of person (who) didn’t like to be in the limelight I guess, so he denied us. When he died, the first thing I said (was) we need to do this. I just want people to know him and get to know how important he was to us and especially the community.”

Redd-Longstreet said she received about 200 signatures for the petition even though she only needed 100. She said that speaks to Jackson’s impact in the city.

She and Jackson attended Southern Mission Missionary Baptist Church as children, and she remembers times when he would playfully tease her in Sunday school.

“He had a sense of humor,” Redd-Longstreet, 80, said. “Some people didn’t know that, and I just loved the way he presented his sermons. Some words, I knew but he always brought it down to the line, made it so simple. It was like a story. I hope people knew him like I did.”

A pastor for the community

Jackson was born on Jan. 6, 1946, in St. Louis. Raised in East St. Louis, he attended East St. Louis Lincoln High School before going to Eastern Illinois University where he received his bachelor’s degrees in political science and education. He was a teacher for East St. Louis School District 189 before he was ordained as pastor of Mt. Nebo Missionary Baptist Church in Madison in 1973. In 1986, he became the pastor of Southern Mission Missionary Baptist Church, where he served until his passing.

U’Essie Riley has attended Southern Mission since she was 13. She and Jackson were childhood friends. She said she started crying when she heard the news about a street being renamed in his honor.

“There will never be another Jerome Jackson,” Riley, 79, said. “He was an icon in the community.”

Riley said she’ll never forget a line that Rev. Jackson always said at the end of his sermons.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’ve been or what you’ve done, God loves you,” said Riley. “That’s embedded in our brains and that will carry on our ministry.’’

East St. Louis Councilwoman Jo Anne Parks also attends Southern Mission. She said she wasn’t aware of the plans to rename the street after her late pastor prior to learning about it at a committee meeting, but said she was happy to support it.

In middle school, Parks was Jackson’s student. He was also her pastor while she attended Mt. Nebo. The pastor officiated her wedding, eulogized the funeral for both her mom and grandmother and christened her daughter.

She said he was known for his integrity and honesty.

“Rev. Jackson was very committed to East St. Louis,” Parks said. “That was one of the reasons why he left Mt. Nebo in Madison. He was very much a part of East St. Louis school district. His commitment to his community was just awesome in terms of ensuring the community had, from a spiritual band, what it needed.”

Parks said her last conversation with Jackson was the Saturday before he died. She said he called to congratulate her on winning a city council seat during the April municipal election.

“My theme throughout my campaign was ‘for such a time as this”. I shared with him my guiding thoughts as I was running for my campaign. He said ‘You know what Jo Anne? I’ve been toiling with that theme. Now that I’ve talked with you, that’s what we’re going to work with (for the church).’ He said to remember to take God with you, and that’s how we ended the conversation.”

Although Jeromene, the youngest daughter of five siblings, is happy about the street being renamed, she wishes her dad was here to see it. She said she and her dad were “thick as thieves” and that it’s difficult to believe that he’s no longer here.

“We’re trying to make things fun, but it’s just not as fun because he was the life of the party. I’m very grateful that he’s being honored in this way and that his legacy will live on, but it’s bittersweet because I’d rather him be here,” Jackson said.

The church is hoping to have a dedication ceremony for Pastor Jerome Jackson I, Sr, Boulevard in the fall, although there isn’t a specific date yet.

“The city felt this one,” Jeromene said. “It was our loss, but this city felt this one.”

This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 5:00 AM.

DeAsia Paige

Belleville News-Democrat

DeAsia Paige joined the Belleville News-Democrat as a Report for America corps member in 2020. She’s a community reporter covering East St. Louis and surrounding areas. DeAsia previously interned with VICE and The Detroit Free Press. She graduated from The University of Kansas in 2020.