Chicago civil rights leader Jesse Jackson hospitalized for rare neurological disorder

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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 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.