Rev. Jesse Jackson, a towering figure in the civil rights movement, has been hospitalized, stirring concern among supporters and skeptics alike.
Fox News reported that on Wednesday, the 84-year-old activist was admitted for observation due to progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare and incurable neurodegenerative disease, as confirmed by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, an organization he founded in 1996.
Jackson’s health journey has been a winding road, starting with a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis announced back in 2017, only to be updated to PSP in April 2025 after further medical evaluation.
“After a battery of tests, my physicians identified the issue as Parkinson's disease, a disease that bested my father,” Jackson stated in 2017, reflecting on the initial blow of his condition with a raw honesty that cuts through the noise.
Let’s be clear—facing a progressive illness like this is no small feat, yet Jackson’s admission of the “painful” recognition shows a grit that even critics of his politics can’t help but respect.
Fast forward to today, and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition notes, “He was originally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease; however, last April, his PSP condition was confirmed,” adding that the family welcomes prayers during this tough time.
Jackson’s health woes don’t stop at PSP—he’s weathered storms like gallbladder surgery and a bout with COVID-19 that landed him in the hospital in recent years.
While some might argue his progressive agenda has pushed divisive policies over the decades, there’s no denying the man’s tenacity in battling personal health crises with the same vigor he brought to public life.
Through it all, he’s been managing PSP for over a decade, a silent fight that only recently came into sharper focus with the updated diagnosis.
Let’s rewind a bit—Jackson, a Baptist minister who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has been a relentless voice in political activism since the civil rights era.
Even as his health declined, he didn’t fade into the background, making appearances like his speech during a 1984 presidential campaign stop alongside Rep. Maxine Waters, showing the kind of staying power that frustrates opponents of his ideological bent.
More recently, he marked the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday on March 9, 2025, crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, with figures like Martin Luther King III and Rep. Al Sharpton, a reminder of his enduring role in history.
In 2023, Jackson stepped down as president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, passing the torch to Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes III, a move that signaled a shift but not a full retreat.
He still showed up at the Democratic National Convention on August 19, 2024, in Chicago, proving that even as his body falters, his spirit remains tied to the causes he’s championed—whether one agrees with them or not.
While some might roll their eyes at the progressive machine he’s helped fuel, it’s hard to ignore the sheer willpower of a man who keeps showing up, health be damned, in a world quick to dismiss the old guard for shiny new narratives.
