Longtime US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson hospitalised
Jackson, a protege of Martin Luther King Jr., gained prominence in 1960s and has spent more than sixty years campaigning for racial equality, economic justice, and voting rights.
Veteran American civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson has been hospitalised, according to his organisation, Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Jackson, 84, is under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurological disorder that affects movement and balance.
“He has been managing this neurodegenerative condition for more than a decade,” the organisation said in a statement on Wednesday night.
“He was originally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, however last April his progressive PSP condition was confirmed. The family appreciates all prayers at this time.”
No further details about his condition were released.
Jackson, a protege of Martin Luther King Jr., rose to prominence in the 1960s and has spent more than six decades advocating for racial equality, economic justice, and voter rights in the US.
Regarded as one of the most influential African American activists of the past century, Jackson addressed an estimated one million people in London’s Hyde Park during the anti-war rally against the impending US and UK invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Health complications
He founded Operation PUSH in 1971 to improve economic conditions for Black communities across America.
In 1984, he launched the National Rainbow Coalition, which later merged with PUSH to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Jackson publicly revealed his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2017, describing it as “painful” and a reminder to focus on physical therapy.
He has faced several health challenges in recent years, including gallbladder surgery and a fall in 2021 while attending an event at Howard University.
In 2017, Jackson said he reluctantly sought medical attention after his ability to move and perform routine tasks became increasingly difficult over three years.