Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson remains in stable condition amid hospitalization

The civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson remains in stable condition and is breathing without the assistance of machines amid his hospitalization, his family said in a statement on Sunday.

Jackson, 84, remains under observation at a hospital in Chicago for progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurodegenerative condition, which he has been managing for a decade.

“We are grateful for the medical team at Northwestern Hospital,” the Rainbow PUSH Coalition said in a statement last week after Jackson was hospitalized. “They will continue to monitor his progress and well-being to ensure the best possible care and support.”

“The family is grateful for all the well-wishes and prayers,” the statement added.

Civil Rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson visits with guests at the National Bar Association’s annual convention on July 31, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. The National Bar Association is the nation’s oldest and largest network of predominately black legal professionals. Former President Joe Biden was scheduled to speak at the event’s awards gala later in the evening.

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Jackson was originally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease; however, his PSP condition was confirmed in April, the organization said.

PSP is a rare neurological disorder that affects body movements, walking and balance, and eye movements, according to the National Institutes of Health. It is caused by damage to nerve cells in parts of the brain.

Jackson, a protege to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who rose to prominence as one of the nation’s foremost civil rights leaders and twice ran for U.S. president, stepped down in 2023 from the leadership of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, which he founded.