Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Parkinson’s disease diagnosis caught many by surprise, but those who know him said they’re confident that he’ll overcome the life-threatening challenge before him.
“He’s in the rumble of his life, but he’s rumbled some big foes before,” said Vincent Hughes, a Democratic state senator from Pennsylvania who campaigned for Jackson in 1984 and again in 1988. Hughes said that Jackson’s campaigns were birthed in the Black empowerment movement that followed the civil rights movement of the 1960s. “I’m one of those African-Americans who took office and was a part of that issue of ‘protest to power,’ and Rev. Jackson was, in many respects, our leader, and he still is.”
More than anyone else, Jackson opened the door for the election of Barack Obama, the first African-American president of the United States, said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA). Chavis was one of Jackson’s contemporaries during the civil rights movement. “Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. is a living global civil rights icon. As a colleague in the civil rights movement dating back to the 1960s and under the leadership of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I have personally witnessed the selfless sacrifice and dedication of Rev. Jackson,” Chavis said.
He continued: “For all who have cried out for freedom, justice and equality, the news of his Parkinson’s disease should only serve to re-dedicate a movement now for health care equality for all, not only as a civil right, but as a human right.”
On Nov. 17, Jackson, 76, issued a statement informing the world of his illness.
Rev. Al Sharpton issued a statement saying that he spent time with Jackson and his family in New York as Jackson made the announcement of his illness.
“As I watched him, I was reminded of the greatness of this man,” Sharpton said. “Rev. Jackson has changed the nation and served in ways in which he never got credit.”
Maynard Eaton, a journalist and national director of communications for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, called Jackson a legendary and fearless civil rights champion.
He said the disease may slow Jackson, but won’t stop him.
“Activism and civil rights are in his blood. As a journalist, Jesse Jackson has been a treat and joy to cover and write about,” said Eaton. “He has been a civil rights darling and media maverick. … Jesse Jackson is a quintessential and pre-eminent civil rights activist of our time.”
Parkinson’s is a chronic condition, but it is treatable, said Dr. Nabila Dahodwala, an associate professor of neurology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Ihtsham ul Haq, an expert in neurology at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, said he believes Jackson will do well.
Dorothy Leavell, chair of the NNPA and publisher of the Crusader Newspaper Group, said even though Jackson is in for the fight of his life, Parkinson’s disease has met its match.
“This is a major blow, but it’s not the death knell,” said Leavell. “We will keep working and encourage Jesse with all he’s done for us and continues to do.”
Rev. Jesse Jackson’s full statement:
On July 17, 1960, I was arrested, along with seven other college students, for advocating for the right to use a public library in my hometown of Greenville, South Carolina. I remember it like it was yesterday, for that day changed my life forever. From that experience, I lost my fear of being jailed for a righteous cause. I went on to meet Dr. King and dedicate my heart and soul to the fight for justice, equality and equal access. In the tradition of the Apostle Paul, I have offered myself — my mind, body and soul — as a living sacrifice.
Throughout my career of service, God has kept me in the embrace of his loving arms and protected me and my family from dangers, seen and unseen. Now in the latter years of my life, at 76 years old, I find it increasingly difficult to perform routine tasks, and getting around is more of a challenge. My family and I began to notice changes about three years ago. For a while, I resisted interrupting my work to visit a doctor. But as my daily physical struggles intensified, I could no longer ignore the symptoms, so I acquiesced.
After a battery of tests, my physicians identified the issue as Parkinson’s disease, a disease that bested my father.
Recognition of the effects of this disease on me has been painful, and I have been slow to grasp the gravity of it. For me, a Parkinson’s diagnosis is not a stop sign but rather a signal that I must make lifestyle changes and dedicate myself to physical therapy in hopes of slowing the disease’s progression.
I am far from alone. God continues to give me new opportunities to serve. This diagnosis is personal, but it is more than that. It is an opportunity for me to use my voice to help in finding a cure for a disease that afflicts 7–10 million worldwide. Some 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s every year.
I will continue to try to instill hope in the hopeless, expand our democracy to the disenfranchised and free innocent prisoners around the world. I’m also spending some time working on my memoir so I can share with others the lessons I have learned in my life of public service. I steadfastly affirm that I would rather wear out than rust out.
I want to thank my family and friends who continue to care for me and support me. I will need your prayers and graceful understanding as I undertake this new challenge. As we continue in the struggle for human rights, remember that God will see us through, even in our midnight moments.
KEEP HOPE ALIVE!
Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.
