Photo: Getty Images North America
The family of Rev. Jesse Jackson said he is in stable condition despite reports of him being on life support.
On Wednesday (November 12), Jackson, 84, was admitted to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago for observation related to his progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).
The family shut down reports that he was on life support, saying on Sunday (November 16) that he was "breathing without the assistance of machines," per USA Today.
“In fact, today he called for 2,000 churches to prepare 2,000 baskets of food to prevent malnutrition during the holiday season,” Jackson's son, Yusef, said in a statement.
A longtime civil rights leader, Jackson ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, and founded Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition.
Jackson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017, but the Rainbow PUSH Coalition later confirmed that his condition is PSP, a rare neurological disorder that affects movement, balance, and eye control. The activist has faced several health challenges in recent years, including abdominal surgery and a COVID-19 hospitalization in 2021. He stepped down as president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in 2023.
The Black Information Network is your source for Black News! Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.