CLOSE Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Veuer's Nick Cardona (@nickcardona93) has that story. Buzz60 
 
 Rev. Jesse Jackson called Clemson's fast-food dinner at the White House "disgraceful." (Photo: Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY) 
 
 CHICAGO — The Rev. Jesse Jackson announced Friday that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. 
 
 The 76-year-old civil rights leader made the announcement in a letter to supporters, saying he was diagnosed two years ago with the neurodegenerative disorder that results from loss of cells in various parts of the brain that control movement. The disease also afflicted his father. 
 
 “After a battery of tests, my physicians identified the issue as Parkinson’s disease, a disease that bested my father,” Jackson writes. 
 
 “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,” Jackson added. 
 
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 Jackson was diagnosed with the disease in 2015 and has been undergoing outpatient care, according to a statement from Northwestern Medicine that a Jackson aide provided. 
 
 Jackson said he and family members noticed something amiss with his health about three years ago. The disease has no cure and causes tremors, stiffness and difficulty balancing and walking. 
 
 "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," Jackson writes. "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." 
 
 A spokesman for Jackson declined to comment on the timing of the announcement. 
 
 Jackson emerged as a prominent voice in the civil rights movement in the 1960s. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave Jackson a role in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and charged him with establishing a presence for the organization in Chicago. 
 
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 The ordained minister would go on to make two unsuccessful runs for the Democratic presidential nomination, in 1984 and 1988, and also organized the civil rights organizations Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition. 
 
 He has served as an envoy to U.S. presidents, negotiating the release of a Navy pilot with Syrian president Hafez al-Assad and persuading Saddam Hussein to release several British and American citizens being held as "human shields" ahead of the 1991 Persian Gulf War. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton. 
 
 In recent years, he's been outspoken about police brutality in black and Latino communities. He's also pushed Silicon Valley executives to diversify their workforce. 
 
 Earlier this month, a journalist for the website The Root, alleged that Jackson grabbed her thigh and made an inappropriate comment toward her following a media event three years ago. A spokesman for Jackson said he didn't recall the incident but "profoundly and sincerely regrets" any pain caused. 
 
 Following the announcement of Parkinson's diagnosis, fellow activist Al Sharpton praised Jackson’s contribution to American life as someone who helped carry on King’s legacy, “perfected economic boycotts and jolted American politics with his two runs for the White House. 
 
 “Reverend Jackson has changed the nation and served in ways in which he never got credit,” Sharpton said. “We pray for him, just as he fought for us.” 
 
 In Jackson’s adopted hometown of Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said that Parkinson’s would “never, ever break Reverend Jackson’s spiritual commitment to justice and his ability to help continue to be a voice to those whose voices are not heard.” 
 
 Follow Aamer Madhani on Twitter: @AamerISmad 
 
 MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT to my friends and supporters on my health and the future. pic.twitter.com/JkuDNpxkix — Rev Jesse Jackson Sr (@RevJJackson) November 17, 2017 
 
 Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2iqQbv9 

 A major announcement was made today by Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., as he revealed he has Parkinson's Disease. NBC 5's Mary Ann Ahern has more on the diagnosis. (Published Friday, Nov. 17, 2017) 
 
 NOTE : Read Jackson's full letter to supporters here. 
 
 Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, he announced Friday. 
 
 In an emotional letter to his supporters, the 76-year-old said his diagnosis came "after a battery of tests." 
 
 Jackson's father also suffered from the disease. 
 
 Rev. Jesse Jackson Reveals Parkinson's Diagnosis 
 
 Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, he announced Friday. In an emotional letter to his supporters, the 76-year-old said his diagnosis came "after a battery of tests." (Published Friday, Nov. 17, 2017) 
 
 "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," he wrote. 
 
 Parkinson's disease is an uncurable neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement, according to the Mayo Clinic. It can lead to tremors, slowed movement, rigid muscles, loss of movement and speech changes. 
 
 Though he had not publicly announced it, Northwestern Medicine said Jackson was diagnosed with the disease in 2015. He has been treated as outpatient in the years since, the hospital said. 
 
 Congressman Danny Davis said those who have been close to Jackson "have noticed some of the signs." 
 
 
 
 Jackson is known for his work as a civil rights activist with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and as a Democratic presidential candidate in the 1980s. He founded Chicago's Rainbow PUSH coalition and has remained a prominent religious and political figure, continuing his outspoken activism recently following the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in Chicago. He also spoke out about police shootings nationwide, including in Ferguson, Missouri. 
 
 "First, my thoughts and prayers are with the family," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Friday, "but I would note while Parkinson's may be a physical condition, it will never ever break Rev. Jackson's spiritual commitment to justice and his ability to help continue to be a voice for those whose voices are not heard." 
 
 Politicians React to Rev. Jackson's Parkinson's Diagnosis 
 
 "When I think of Rev. Jesse Jackson, for 50 years that I've known Jesse Jackson, he has been an absolute voice of progressive thought, progressive development and representative views in the needs of the downtrodden, and I'll tell you it's going to be a great loss if his voice is not able to be heard." (Published Friday, Nov. 17, 2017) 
 
 Read Jackson's full statement below. 
 
 Dear Friends and Supporters, 
 
 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, S.C. 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. 
 
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 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 to 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.
– The Rev. Jesse Jackson has Parkinson's disease, he announced in a letter to friends and supporters Friday. The civil rights leader opens the letter by recounting the 1960 arrest that started his activist journey and noting that God has "protected me and my family from dangers, seen and unseen" throughout that journey. "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," he writes, per NBC Chicago. He says the symptoms began about three years ago, and he finally decided to see doctors, who diagnosed him with Parkinson's. Per a statement provided to USA Today, Jackson was diagnosed in 2015. His father had the same disease, he writes. "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," he continues. He says he will now use his voice to help find a cure and is also working on his memoir, but he will still continue his work "instill[ing] hope in the hopeless, expand[ing] our democracy to the disenfranchised, and free[ing] innocent prisoners around the world."