U.S. civil rights leader Jesse Jackson has been hospitalized in Chicago for observation of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurodegenerative disorder he has managed for more than a decade, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition said on Wednesday.
The 84-year-old was admitted to hospital on Wednesday for the condition, which was confirmed in April after initially being diagnosed as Parkinson’s disease, according to a statement from the organization Jackson founded.
“He has been managing this neurodegenerative condition for more than a decade,” the Rainbow PUSH Coalition said. “The family appreciates all prayers at this time.”
PSP is a rare neurological disorder that affects body movements, walking and balance, and eye movements , according to the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The condition affects about 20,000 Americans over the age of 60, according to UCSF Health.
The disorder typically begins in a person’s 60s and has symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease. Most people with PSP develop severe disability within three to five years.
Jackson has been a prominent figure in the U.S. civil rights movement since the 1960s, working alongside Martin Luther King Jr. He was present when King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968.
The Democrat twice ran for president, in 1984 and 1988, becoming the first Black candidate to mount a major campaign for the White House.
In 1971, Jackson founded Operation PUSH to improve economic conditions for Black communities. He later launched the National Rainbow Coalition in 1984, which merged with Operation PUSH in 1996 to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Jackson retired from leading Rainbow PUSH in 2023 after more than a half century of activism. He had previously been hospitalized in 2021 after testing positive for COVID-19 and again after a fall.
Further details about his current condition have not been released.
