Rev. Jesse Jackson has a brain injury
November 18, 2025 | | Activist, Affirmative Action, Africa, African American Ethnic Heritage, African Union, Business
| Rev. Jackson is suffering from a brain disorder |
| Rev. Jesse Jackson |
| Rev. Jackson is suffering from a brain disorder Rev. Jesse Jackson, founder of Rainbow Push Coalition, and a disciple of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has been hospitalized with a brain disorder that doctors originally believed was Parkinson’s disease. Although the disorders manifest in similar ways, physicians now acknowledge that their diagnosis was mistaken. Rev. Jackson, 84, was diagnosed early this year with a neurodegenerative disorder at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. “He has been managing this neurodegenerative condition for more than a decade. He was originally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease; however, last April, his Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) was confirmed. Progressive supranuclear palsy is a rare and chronic neurodegenerative disorder that damages certain areas of the brain. It affects walking, thinking, swallowing, and eye movement. It may also cause other symptoms. PSP is also known as Steele-Richardson-Olszewski syndrome. “Progressive” means that the symptoms get worse over time from the underlying neurodegenerative condition. “Supranuclear” and “palsy” together mean the inability to move your eyes, as “supranuclear” means that the damage is located above the eye-moving centers (nuclei) in your brain. “Palsy” refers to weakness or difficulty using muscles. PSP may closely resemble Parkinson’s disease. Healthcare providers often misdiagnose PSP as Parkinson’s disease, especially in the early stages of the condition. But PSP progresses faster than Parkinson’s disease. Neurodegenerative disorders are chronic conditions that damage and destroy parts of your nervous system over time, especially your brain. These conditions are permanent and incurable, but many are now treatable thanks to medical advances. Currently, the primary medical approach is to treat the symptoms and slow the progression of these conditions when possible. According to Johns Hopkins, PSP is easily mistaken for Parkinson’s disease, which is more common. And unlike with Parkinson’s, people with PSP are more likely to lean or fall backward rather than forward; and speech disturbance and trouble swallowing are affected more with PSP than Parkinson’s. Rev. Jackson, once a vigorous man, is now confined to a wheelchair and struggles to eat, and has to be fed by an assistant. Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader who twice ran for president in the 1980s, was hospitalized Wednesday for observation of his condition. He was a key staff member for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Jackson was with Dr. King when he was murdered on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. James Earl Ray, a small-time criminal, was arrested for Dr. King’s murder, but there is a strong belief that the FBI had him killed because J. Edgar Hoover feared he would become a Black Messiah. |