Civil rights icon Rev. Jesse Jackson has been released from Northwestern Memorial Hospital after receiving intensive care treatment to stabilize his blood pressure, according to the Rainbow PUSH Organization.
Jackson, 84, a longtime protégé of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., has been under medical observation for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), his organization previously said. The group reported Monday that he is now in stable condition and has left the hospital for a private residence, a source confirmed.
His son and family spokesperson, Yusef Jackson, expressed gratitude on behalf of the family to the many friends and supporters who have called, visited, and prayed for the civil rights leader. He also thanked the medical and security staff at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and asked that people continue to keep Jackson in their prayers during what he described as a meaningful and delicate time for the family.
A statement from Rainbow PUSH on November 16 noted that Jackson was breathing on his own without machines and was not on life support. Another source said he had been given medication to help raise his blood pressure, a treatment considered a form of life support. No additional details about his current condition have been made public.
PSP is described by the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke as a rare neurological disorder that affects movement, balance, walking, and eye control. The condition typically begins in a person’s 60s and shares some symptoms with Parkinson’s disease. Most people with PSP experience significant disability within three to five years of onset.
Jackson has been managing this neurodegenerative illness for more than a decade. His organization has said he was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and that his PSP diagnosis was confirmed in April of last year.
Even while hospitalized, Jackson remained focused on his advocacy work. In an earlier family statement, he urged 2,000 churches to assemble 2,000 food baskets to help prevent hunger and malnutrition during the holiday season.
Jackson first gained national recognition in the 1960s as a close aide to Martin Luther King Jr. Following King’s assassination in 1968, Jackson emerged as one of the country’s most influential civil rights leaders.
In 1971, he founded Operation PUSH to improve economic opportunities for Black communities across the United States. He later established the National Rainbow Coalition in 1984 to advance equal rights for all Americans. Twelve years later, the two organizations joined together to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, which continues his work today.
