Reverend Jesse Jackson is still in the hospital to manage his neurological disorder, but is currently “in stable condition,” according to his organization, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
The nonprofit shared an update on the civil rights activist’s health Saturday, writing the politician and Baptist minister was “under good care at Northwestern Memorial Hospital” in Chicago, Ill.
The Rainbow PUSH Coalition also confirmed that Jackson received a visit from former President Bill Clinton and Secretary Hillary Clinton on Friday. The reverend was also visited by longtime friend Judge Greg Mathis, who, per the organization, “spent time with him reading excerpts from ‘A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power’ by Abby Phillip.”
This update comes over a week after Jackson was first hospitalized in order to manage his progressive supranuclear palsy (also known as PSP).
Per the Mayo Clinic, PSP is “a rare brain disease that affects walking, balance, eye movements and swallowing.” It can also be known as “Steele-Richardson-Olszewski syndrome.”
“Reverend Jackson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013,” the spokesperson for the Rainbow PUSH Coalition explained Saturday. “In April, the diagnosis changed to progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a neurological disorder. The Jackson family is grateful for the dedicated medical team at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and extends heartfelt appreciation for the many prayers and kind messages offered during this time.”
Jackson, who turned 84 back in October, rose to prominence as protégé of Martin Luther King Jr. He’s been a leading civil rights voice for over six decades, with Jackson notably running for president in 1984 and 1988. He also served as a shadow delegate and senator for the District of Columbia between 1991 and 1997.
Jackson led the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, which describes itself as “an organization dedicated to improving the economic conditions of black communities across the United States,” for several decades before stepping down as its president in 2023.
The reverend is a father of six, including former U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. and U.S. Representative Jonathan Jackson.
