Chicago, November 13, 2025 – Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr., the enduring symbol of the Civil Rights Movement and a towering figure in American social justice advocacy, has been admitted to a Chicago hospital for observation related to his long-standing battle with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), a rare and debilitating neurodegenerative disorder. The 84-year-old icon, whose life has been defined by tireless activism alongside legends like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is receiving close medical attention as supporters worldwide rally with prayers and messages of solidarity.
In a somber statement released late Wednesday by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition—the organization Jackson founded and led for over five decades—the group confirmed that Jackson was hospitalized earlier this week at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. "Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. has been admitted to the hospital and is currently under observation for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), a neurodegenerative disorder he has managed for more than a decade," the statement read. "The family appreciates all prayers at this time." No further details on his treatment or expected recovery timeline were disclosed, respecting the family's request for privacy during this challenging period.
Jackson's health struggles became public knowledge in 2017 when he announced a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, a progressive condition that impairs movement, balance, and coordination. However, in April 2024, medical evaluations refined his diagnosis to PSP, a rarer atypical parkinsonian syndrome that shares overlapping symptoms but often progresses more rapidly and severely. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, PSP affects an estimated 5 to 6 people per 100,000 and primarily strikes those over 60, with men being slightly more susceptible. It disrupts eye movements, swallowing, and balance, leading to frequent falls and, in advanced stages, cognitive decline. Unlike Parkinson's, PSP has no cure, though therapies like physical rehabilitation and medications can mitigate symptoms and slow progression. Jackson himself described the 2024 confirmation as "a signal that I must make lifestyle changes and dedicate myself to physical therapy in hopes of slowing the disease’s progression." Despite these hurdles, Jackson has remained a visible force in activism, appearing at events like the Democratic National Convention in August 2024, where he was honored alongside civil rights contemporaries.
Born Jesse Louis Burns on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina—a segregated Southern town where racial divides were stark—Jackson's early life instilled in him a profound sense of resilience and purpose. Raised by his teenage mother, Helen Burns, and later adopted by her husband, Charles Jackson, a postal worker, young Jesse navigated feelings of isolation amid whispers about his parentage. His biological father, Noah Louis Robinson, was a professional boxer who was married to another woman at the time of Jackson's birth. Yet, these challenges forged a determined spirit. Excelling athletically and academically, Jackson earned a football scholarship to the University of Illinois but transferred to North Carolina A&T State University after facing discrimination. There, as student body president and quarterback, he plunged into civil rights protests, challenging segregated libraries, theaters, and restaurants in Greensboro—a hotbed of the 1960 sit-ins.
Jackson's seminary studies at Chicago Theological Seminary were interrupted in 1965 when he answered the call of the Civil Rights Movement. Heeding Dr. King's summons, he marched in Selma, Alabama, and joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), King's powerhouse organization. As a protégé, Jackson quickly rose, coordinating the Chicago chapter of Operation Breadbasket—SCLC's economic empowerment arm aimed at pressuring white-owned businesses to hire Black workers and source from Black suppliers. His bold tactics, blending boycotts, prayer vigils, and negotiations, yielded landmark concessions, including thousands of jobs for African Americans in the Windy City. Tragically, Jackson was at King's side in Memphis on April 4, 1968, when the Nobel laureate was assassinated on the Lorraine Motel balcony. Bloodied in the chaos, Jackson later recounted the moment as a pivotal call to carry forward King's nonviolent vision of racial and economic justice.
Clashes with SCLC leadership post-King's death prompted Jackson's departure in 1971, when he founded Operation PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity). Headquartered in Chicago, PUSH amplified Black economic self-sufficiency through corporate accountability campaigns and cultural programs, famously pressuring Coca-Cola and others to diversify their workforces. This laid the groundwork for his 1984 presidential bid, which birthed the National Rainbow Coalition—a multiracial alliance uniting African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, women, LGBTQ+ communities, labor unions, and the poor under the banner of "rainbow" inclusivity. The two entities merged in 1996 to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a global force for equity that Jackson helmed until July 2023, when he stepped down at 81, citing his health and a desire to empower younger leaders like Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes III. Under his stewardship, the coalition championed voting rights, anti-apartheid sanctions, and environmental justice, while hosting annual Wall Street Project summits to funnel investments into underserved communities.
Jackson's audacious forays into electoral politics redefined Black participation in American democracy. In 1984, defying skeptics who viewed him as a "fringe" candidate, Jackson launched a grassroots insurgency for the Democratic nomination. His "I Am Somebody" mantra—echoing PUSH's empowerment ethos—resonated in Black churches and barrios alike. Though Walter Mondale clinched the nomination, Jackson stunned the nation by winning five primaries (Louisiana, D.C., South Carolina, Virginia, and Mississippi) and capturing 3.2 million votes, or 18% of the total—a feat unmatched by any African American candidate before Barack Obama in 2008. His campaign's voter registration blitz, dubbed the "Rainbow Voter Education Project," swelled Black rolls by over three million nationwide, tripling turnout in key states like New Jersey from 7% to 20% of the Democratic primary electorate. This surge diversified the party, amplifying voices long marginalized and paving the way for future inclusivity.
Emboldened, Jackson ran again in 1988, broadening his coalition to include white progressives and rural farmers. He triumphed in 11 contests, including a landmark 55% victory in Michigan's caucus, briefly positioning him as the delegate leader. Garnering nearly 7 million votes—doubling his 1984 haul—Jackson forced the Democratic platform to address apartheid divestment and farm aid, though he fell short of the nomination to Michael Dukakis. These runs weren't mere bids for power; they were masterclasses in coalition-building, proving that a Black-led, multiracial movement could reshape the electoral map.
Beyond domestic fronts, Jackson's diplomacy knew no borders. In the 1980s and '90s, he negotiated the release of dozens of hostages and prisoners—from U.S. soldiers in Syria to Cuban detainees—earning him the moniker "America's freelance ambassador." He shuttled to the Middle East, urging nonviolence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and to South Africa, where his anti-apartheid advocacy helped isolate the regime. In 1990, as a "shadow senator" for Washington, D.C., he lobbied fiercely for the District's statehood, decrying its taxation-without-representation status.
Jackson's legacy is etched in accolades: the 2000 Presidential Medal of Freedom from Bill Clinton, the nation's highest civilian honor; over 40 honorary doctorates; and France's Legion of Honor in 2021 for global human rights work. Ordained a Baptist minister in 1968—without a full degree, later earning one in 2000—his sermons fused theology with activism, inspiring generations. Yet, his path wasn't without controversy: a 1984 "Hymietown" slur drew backlash, and personal scandals, including an extramarital affair acknowledged in 2001, tested his moral authority. Jackson owned these missteps, vowing greater accountability, which only burnished his image as a flawed but unrelenting fighter.
As Jackson rests under medical care, tributes flood in from allies and admirers. Al Sharpton, a mentee, called him "the pivoting of one of the most productive, prophetic, and dominant figures in the struggle for social justice." Congressional Black Caucus members and figures like Bernie Sanders hail his role in expanding democracy. Even in frailty, Jackson's example endures: a reminder that justice demands persistence, coalitions transcend color, and one voice, amplified by faith and fury, can echo through history.
The Rainbow PUSH Coalition vows to continue his mission, urging supporters to channel prayers into action—registering voters, challenging inequities, and building the rainbow he envisioned. For an 84-year-old who stared down assassins' shadows and electoral machines, this hospitalization is but a pause in a lifetime of unyielding march.
