Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, 84, hospitalized in Chicago with rare brain disease PSP, is nonverbal and unable to open eyes.

Rev. Jesse Jackson, 84, a prominent civil rights leader and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, has been hospitalized in Chicago due to progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurodegenerative disorder. He was diagnosed with PSP in April, though he had previously been managing Parkinson’s disease for over a decade. Jackson, who stepped down as head of Rainbow/PUSH in 2023, has been under 24-hour home care from family members, including his sons U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson and Jesse Jackson Jr. He has been unable to speak or keep his eyes open but communicates through gestures. The family has asked for prayers, but no further details about his condition or prognosis have been released.