Rev. Jesse Jackson Hospitalized with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
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Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson was hospitalized in Chicago on Wednesday,december 6,2023,due to symptoms related to progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP),a rare neurodegenerative condition. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jesse-jackson-hospitalized-progressive-supranuclear-palsy-rcna92498 Teh Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the social justice organization founded by Jackson, confirmed his hospitalization.
Diagnosis and Condition
jackson, 84, has been living with a neurodegenerative condition for over a decade. he was initially diagnosed with ParkinsonS disease, but a more precise diagnosis of PSP was confirmed in April 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/06/us/jesse-jackson-hospitalized.html
PSP is classified as an atypical parkinsonian disorder. While it shares some motor symptoms with Parkinson’s disease, PSP typically progresses more rapidly and carries a more severe prognosis. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/progressive-supranuclear-palsy-psp The disease is caused by a buildup of the tau protein in specific areas of the brain responsible for balance, eye movement, and speech.Symptoms include:
* Difficulty with balance and frequent falls
* Inability to control eye movements, especially looking downward
* Slurred speech
* Loss of walking ability
* Challenges with swallowing
A Lifetime of Civil Rights Advocacy
Born in 1941 in segregated Greenville, South Carolina, Jesse Jackson rose to national prominence during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, working closely with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/jackson-jesse He has sence dedicated his life to advocating for social justice and equal possibility.
Jackson founded Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) to promote economic empowerment within the Black community,encouraging corporations to increase hiring of Black Americans. He later established the Rainbow Coalition in the 1980s, aiming to build a broad-based political movement uniting diverse marginalized groups – including Black Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and working-class voters – around shared goals of social, economic, and political justice. https://www.britannica.com/biography/jesse-Jackson
Presidential Campaigns and Legacy
Jackson broke barriers as the first African American to launch a viable national presidential campaign. He ran for president in 1984, receiving 3.5 million votes, and again in 1988, garnering 7 million votes. https://www.history.com/news/jesse-jackson-presidential-campaigns These campaigns significantly increased black political participation and brought issues of racial and economic inequality to the forefront of national discourse.
He and his wife, Jacqueline Jackson, were previously hospitalized in 2021 after contracting COVID-19. https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-08-21/rev-jesse-jackson-and-wife-jacqueline-hospitalized-for-covid-19
Current Status and Future Outlook
as of December 7,2023,the Rainbow PUSH Coalition has stated that Jackson is responding well to treatment. [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jesse-jackson-hospitalized-progressive-supranuclear-palsy-rcna92498](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jesse-jackson-hospitalized-progressive-supranuclear-palsy-rcna
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