Civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson has been hospitalized in Chicago, according to the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. The organization announced his hospitalization Wednesday evening, stating, “The family appreciates all prayers at this time.”
Jackson, 84, is under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a neurodegenerative condition he’s been managing for over a decade. He was initially diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, but his PSP condition was confirmed in April.
A protégé of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson rose to prominence as a civil rights leader and ran for U.S. president twice. He stepped down as head of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, which he founded, in 2023.
The hospitalization comes as a reminder of Jackson’s decades-long legacy in the civil rights movement. His family and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition appreciate the public’s support and prayers during this time.