After collapsing while supporting student demonstrators at Howard University in Washington, D.C., the Rev. Jesse Jackson was rushed to the hospital.
Jackson was apparently meeting with students and Howard University President Wayne A.I. Frederick to discuss the students’ reported unclean and poor living circumstances, which included roaches, rats, mold, and other problems.
According to a statement released by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the 80-year-old civil rights leader stumbled, fell, and hit his head.
“When Rev. Jackson entered a building on campus, he fell and hit his head. His staff took him to the Howard University Hospital where various tests were run including a CT scan. The results came back normal. However, hospital officials decided to keep Rev. Jackson overnight for observation,” the civil rights organization founded by Jackson said in a statement on its website.
Howard University also confirmed that Jackson was admitted for observation.
Jackson and his wife, Jacqueline, 77, were hospitalized in early September 2021 after getting the new coronavirus and receiving treatment in a Chicago hospital’s ICU unit. After a few weeks in the hospital, both survived, and Jackson was sent to a rehabilitation facility for further treatment owing to his Parkinson’s disease.
Jackson also had to have surgery in February 2021 after suffering from recurrent stomach discomfort.
Martin Luther King III and NAACP President Derrick Johnson had joined Jackson on the prestigious HBCU campus in the nation’s capital to provide support to the students.
Frederick assured the students that he is working relentlessly with the housing partners to quickly address their issues.
