Chicago civil rights leader Jesse Jackson hospitalized for rare
neurological disorder
[November 14, 2025]
By SOPHIA TAREEN
CHICAGO
(AP) — The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who has been receiving around-the-clock
care at home, has been hospitalized with a rare neurological disorder,
according to his Chicago-based organization.
The civil
rights leader was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease about a decade ago.
But his Rainbow/PUSH organization said Thursday that the 84-year-old
remained under observation at a Chicago hospital for progressive
supranuclear palsy, or PSP, a neurodegenerative disorder he has been
“managing for more than a decade” and received a diagnosis for in April.
He was reported in stable condition. |
The Rev. Jesse Jackson listens to speakers at the Tabernacle Baptist
Church during the 60th anniversary of the march to ensure that African
Americans could exercise their constitutional right to vote, March 9,
2025, in Selma, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File) |
|
“The family is grateful for all the well-wishes and prayers,”
the organization said in a statement late Thursday, a day after
he was admitted.
Jackson had suffered from symptoms consistent with Parkinson's
and disclosed a diagnosis in 2017, but during a Mayo Clinic
visit in April, doctors confirmed a diagnosis of PSP, which can
have similar symptoms to Parkinson's.
After disclosing he was receiving outpatient treatment in 2017,
Jackson continued to make public appearances, including at the
2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The two-time
presidential candidate stepped down as leader of his
Rainbow/PUSH organization in 2023 and his son, Yusef Jackson,
took over as chief operating officer last year.
The elder Jackson has been using a wheelchair and continued
going into the office regularly until months ago, family members
said.
In recent months, his relatives, including sons U.S. Rep.
Jonathan Jackson and Jesse Jackson Jr., a former Illinois
congressman seeking reelection, have been providing 24-hour care
in shifts.
The reverend has struggled to keep his eyes open and is unable
to speak. But he has found ways to communicate with family and
friends who visit, his son Jesse Jackson Jr. told The Associated
Press last month.
“He'll squeeze your hand,” he said.
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