Civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson has been hospitalized, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition announced Wednesday evening.
The organization said in a statement that Jackson (84 years old) was admitted to the hospital and is undergoing observation due to progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurodegenerative condition that he has been treating for a decade.
“The family appreciates all the prayers at this time,” the group said.
Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson visits guests at the National Bar Association’s annual convention on July 31, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. The National Bar Association is the nation’s oldest and largest network of predominantly Black legal professionals. Former President Joe Biden was scheduled to speak at the event’s awards ceremony later in the evening.
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Jackson was originally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, but his condition was confirmed in April, the organization said.
PSP is a rare neurological disorder that affects body movements, gait, balance, and eye movements, according to the National Institutes of Health. It is caused by damage to nerve cells in parts of the brain.
Jackson, a disciple of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who rose to prominence as one of the country’s most prominent civil rights leaders and twice ran for president of the United States, resigned in 2023 from the leadership of the Rainbow PUSH coalition, which he founded.