Rev. Jesse Jackson And His Wife Are Hospitalized For COVID-19

By The Associated Press

Published August 21, 2021 at 7:11 PM CDT

Rev. Jesse Jackson, shown receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in January, and his wife, Jacqueline, have been hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19.

CHICAGO — The Rev. Jesse Jackson, 79, and his wife, Jacqueline, 77, have been hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19, according to a statement Saturday.

Jesse Jackson, a famed civil rights leader, is vaccinated against the virus and received his first dose in January during a publicized event as he urged others to receive the inoculation as soon as possible. The two are being treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

"Doctors are currently monitoring the condition of both," according to the statement authorized by their son, Jonathan Jackson.

"There are no further updates at this time," the statement said. "We will provide updates as they become available."

A protégé of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson was key in guiding the modern civil rights movement on numerous issues, including voting rights.

Despite having been diagnosed for Parkinson's disease, Jackson has remained active, and has advocated for COVID-19 vaccines for Black people, who lag behind white people in the United States' vaccination drive.