Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson hospitalized, family requests prayers

The civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson has been hospitalized, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition announced Wednesday evening.

Jackson, 84, has been admitted to the hospital and is under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurodegenerative condition, which he has been managing for a decade, the organization said in a statement.

"The family appreciates all prayers at this time," the group said.

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 which 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.