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CHICAGO (AP) – Reverend Jesse Jackson, famous civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate, and his wife have been hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19, according to a statement released on Saturday.
Jesse Jackson, 79, is vaccinated against the virus and received his first dose in January in a high profile event as he urged others to receive the inoculation as soon as possible. He and his wife, 77, are being treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
“Doctors are currently monitoring the condition of both,” according to a statement from Jesse Jackson’s nonprofit, the Rainbow / PUSH Coalition.
“There are no further updates at this time,” the statement said. “We will provide updates as they become available.”
Protected by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson has played a key role in guiding the modern civil rights movement on many issues, including voting rights.
Despite being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Jackson has remained active and advocated for COVID-19 vaccines for blacks, who lag behind whites in the U.S. vaccination campaign. Earlier this month, he was arrested outside the United States Capitol during a protest calling on Congress to end the filibuster in order to support voting rights.
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