Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson hospitalized for rare neurological disorder
FILE – Rev. Jesse Jackson in Action 8 News studio, Friday, March 3, 2017 – Photo from WAKA Action 8 News
Rev. Jesse Jackson, who has been receiving around-the-clock care at home, has been hospitalized with a rare neurological disorder, according to his Chicago-based organization.
Jackson has visited Alabama many times over the years. He gave Action 8 News a one-on-one interview in 2017 when he was here for the annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee in Selma. He was also in Selma for the 2023 Bridge Crossing Jubilee, where he joined President Biden leading thousands across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
The civil rights leader was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease over a decade ago. But his Rainbow/PUSH organization said late yesterday that the 84-year-old was under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy, or PSP, a neurodegenerative disorder he has been “managing for more than a decade” and received a diagnosis for in April.
“The family appreciates all prayers at this time,” the statement said.
It is not clear if Jackson has both Parkinson’s and PSP, which have similar symptoms, or solely the PSP that was confirmed this year. A Rainbow/PUSH spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for clarity.
After disclosing the Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2017, Jackson continued to make public appearances, including at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The two-time presidential candidate stepped down as leader of his Rainbow/PUSH organization in 2023 and his son, Yusef Jackson, took over as chief operating officer last year.
The elder Jackson has been using a wheelchair and continued going into the office regularly until months ago, family members said.
In recent months, his relatives, including sons U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson and Jesse Jackson Jr., a former Illinois congressman seeking reelection, have been providing 24-hour care in shifts.
Jesse Jackson has struggled to keep his eyes open and is unable to speak. But he has found ways to communicate with family and friends who visit, his son Jesse Jackson Jr. told The Associated Press last month.
“He’ll squeeze your hand,” he said.
Until Barack Obama’s election in 2008, Jackson was the most successful Black candidate for the U.S. presidency, winning 13 primaries and caucuses for the Democratic nomination in 1988.
Jackson has helped guide the modern civil rights movement on a wide variety of issues, including voting rights and education.
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