ROCKFORD — The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s message was part inspiration, part planning Tuesday as he met with area students and union and church leaders to reflect on President Barack Obama’s nationwide address to schoolchildren and prepare for this weekend’s demonstration.

Tuesday marked the civil rights activist’s fourth visit to the Forest City in the past 10 days. The 67-year-old founder and president of Rainbow/PUSH, two-time presidential candidate and Baptist preacher is working with area leaders to promote justice and healing in the wake of a fatal police shooting in a downtown day care Aug. 24 and a better Rockford.

Tuesday’s stops included a meeting with union leaders, a visit to Auburn High School where he spoke to about 90 students, a gathering of area ministers at Allen Chapel Church, City Hall to address City Council and the Booker Washington Center for a meeting of the Rockford NAACP.

Jackson plans to return Saturday to lead residents in a march for jobs, justice, education, health care and, most of all, Jackson said, a march to show the community’s collective hope — a unity of desire to address long-standing social ills that have plagued the community from high unemployment and crime to a school system that struggles to get students to class, let alone receive a diploma someday.

“We’re doing work in Rockford right now,” Jackson said. “In some aspects, the death (in the church day care) has caused great anxiety and great concern in Rockford. But beyond that ... it’s awakened people.”

About two dozen union leaders representing building trades and government employees met with Jackson Tuesday morning to talk about the community’s struggle with joblessness and the poor economy. Many of the union leaders have committed to marching with the community Saturday, Jackson said.

Later Tuesday, Jackson listened to Obama’s address to the nation’s students at Auburn, and followed the president’s speech with encouraging words of his own.

“Do your best against the odds and be prepared for global competition. Learn more than one language and not self-destruct,” he said. “In Rockford, one of the great challenges is to end the truancy. We must start school on time and prioritize graduating and going on beyond high school.”

Jackson said he supported the president’s message and believed it could have an effect on children.

“He has a lot to say. He shared his own dreams and his own failures. He spoke to the crises that a lot of students have in their own lives, within their homes,” Jackson said. “When you plant a seed, as the Bible says, some seeds hit the rock. Some hit the wind, and some germinate. You never know which ones will germinate, but it’s worth the investment. We all have odds, but that can’t stop us from doing our very best.”

Rockford school Superintendent LaVonne Sheffield said she was pleased to have Jackson address a Rockford public school for the second time in recent weeks.

“It’s a big moment for our kids,” she said. Sheffield said she also was pleased with the president’s address.

“I think it’s appropriate. It’s the message that we try to deliver to young students,” she said. “It was positive, really hopeful.”

Rockford is going through somewhat of a spiritual transformation, said Angela Baker of Faith Walkers Assembly church. Baker joined dozens of others for a meeting of area ministers and community leaders at Allen Chapel on Tuesday afternoon to talk about this weekend’s demonstration and the purpose behind it.

“It feels as though there were a lot of people who were unhappy for a lot of reasons but they were scared to speak up,” said the minister-in-training. “It’s as if people were praying, and now God is saying ‘I’m here.’ He’s moving through every church, every leader and fixing what needs to be fixed.”

Staff writer Corina Curry can be reached at ccurry@rrstar.com or 815-987-1371.