Rev. Jesse Jackson, a prominent civil rights leader and protégé of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., is reported to be on life support at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. At 84 years old, Jackson has been receiving medication to stabilize his blood pressure, with medical staff working to reduce this medication. His condition has been described as steadily declining, although he has shown occasional moments of awareness.

Jackson was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a neurodegenerative disorder similar to Parkinson's disease, which he publicly acknowledged in 2017. This condition is characterized by difficulties in body movements, balance, and eye coordination, typically affecting individuals in their 60s. According to the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, PSP often leads to severe disability within three to five years.

Despite his health challenges, Jackson has exhibited brief signs of responsiveness, attributed to the medication he is receiving. His family reported a significant drop in his blood pressure over the weekend, but medical personnel responded promptly to stabilize him. Friends and family are traveling to Chicago to be with him during this critical time.

Jackson has been managing this neurodegenerative condition for over a decade. He first gained national attention in the 1960s as a close aide to Martin Luther King Jr. Following King's assassination in 1968, Jackson emerged as a transformative figure in the civil rights movement, founding Operation PUSH in 1971 to enhance economic conditions in Black communities. He later established the National Rainbow Coalition in 1984 to advocate for equal rights, with both organizations merging in 1985 to form the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Throughout his career, Jackson's advocacy has spanned multiple eras of social justice, addressing issues from the Jim Crow era to contemporary movements for racial equity, including the election of Barack Obama and the Black Lives Matter movement.