REVEREND Jesse Jackson, the 84-year-old American civil rights leader known for his decades of advocacy for marginalised communities across Africa and the diaspora, has been hospitalised and is under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), his organisation announced Wednesday.
The Rainbow PUSH Coalition, which Jackson founded, confirmed that the veteran activist has been managing the neurodegenerative condition for more than a decade. Initially diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, his condition was confirmed as PSP last April.
“The family appreciates all prayers at this time,” the organisation said in a statement.
Jackson’s influence extends far beyond American borders. Throughout his six-decade career in activism, he has been a steadfast ally to liberation movements and democratic struggles across the African continent. He visited South Africa during the apartheid era, stood with Nelson Mandela, and has consistently championed debt relief and economic justice for African nations.
The reverend rose to prominence in the 1960s as a protégé of Dr Martin Luther King Jr., fighting for the rights of Black Americans and other minorities. He was present at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, when King was assassinated in 1968, a tragedy that galvanised his commitment to continuing the civil rights struggle.
Jackson made history with two groundbreaking campaigns for the US Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, becoming one of the first serious African American candidates for the presidency and opening doors for future generations of Black political leaders.
His health has faced multiple challenges in recent years. In 2021, he was hospitalised after contracting COVID-19, and again following a fall that resulted in a head injury.
The Rainbow PUSH Coalition emerged from a 1996 merger between People United to Save Humanity, which Jackson established in 1971 to advance King’s legacy, and the National Rainbow Coalition he formed during his first presidential campaign.
