Rush Statement on Passing of Reverend Leon Finney

CHICAGO — Today, U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) issued the following statement on the passing of Reverend Leon Finney Jr.:

“Dr. Finney’s life and legacy have left his fingerprints on the throttle of change in our city, state, and nation, extending from his father, Leon Finny Sr. — an amazing African-American business man and founder of Leon’s Barbecue — to Saul Alinsky, to Bishop Arthur M. Frazier, to Congressman Ralph H. Metcalfe Jr., to Reverend Jessie L. Jackson Sr., to Mayor Harold Washington, all the way to former President Barack Obama, and in all points and times in between. 

“Dr. Finney was an organizer’s organizer, who was on the frontline of change throughout the land. He was my close confidant, colleague, and confederate, and was also my professor at the McCormick Theological Seminary, where he founded the African American Leadership Program, which was responsible for the training of innumerable African American Pastors in receiving their master’s degrees. 

“We have remained very close throughout the years and in recent times, especially as he was undergoing these health challenges. He was an absolute friend and an inspiration. 

“I alone, with countless others, are in mourning due to his transition, but we all remain committed to furthering his life’s pursuit. My condolences are extended to his immediate family, his church, and to his many friends. His legacy lives on.”