Jesse Jackson Released from Hospital: Civil Rights Leader's Health Update

Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, 84, has been released from a Chicago hospital after being admitted for a degenerative neurological disorder. The family expressed gratitude for prayers and support. Jackson has been pivotal in the civil rights movement since the 1960s and had two presidential bids.

Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson was discharged from a Chicago hospital on Monday, having been under medical care for over 12 days, as disclosed by his family.

The 84-year-old Jackson, a Baptist minister, social activist, and previous U.S. presidential candidate, left the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in stable condition, according to his son and spokesperson, Yusef Jackson, via a statement from the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a political action organization he founded. His hospitalization, initially announced on November 12, was due to progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative neurological disorder. Jackson's diagnosis was updated earlier this year from Parkinson's disease to PSP, the statement noted.

Details on Jackson's medical treatment and condition remain undisclosed. The Jackson family extended their gratitude for the prayers and visits they received and praised the medical staff at Northwestern Hospital. "We humbly ask for your continued prayers through this precious time," Yusef Jackson remarked.

Jesse Jackson has been a key figure in the U.S. civil rights movement from the 1960s, starting as a young protégé of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He was present during King's assassination in 1968. Jackson's impact extended into politics as he launched Democratic primary campaigns for the U.S. presidency in 1984 and again in 1988.

(With inputs from agencies.)