The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil rights advocate and Democratic presidential candidate, was hospitalized on Monday after falling and hitting his head while he was set to attend a meeting at Howard University.
According to CNN, Jackson traveled to the campus of the historically Black university for a meeting with students and university President Wayne A.I. Frederick to address recent concerns about living conditions in the dorms.
Rainbow PUSH Coalition, which is a nonprofit organization Jackson founded, confirmed Jackson’s fall in a statement to CNN on Monday.
“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 statement said.
Howard University also made a statement regarding Jackson’s fall and offered prayers for a speedy recovery on Monday.
“Our prayers are with the Jackson family,” the university’s official account tweeted.
Jackson, 80, has experienced other health issues this year, being hospitalized with COVID-19 in August and later undergoing physical therapy rehab for Parkinson’s disease, CNN reported.
Howard University students have been occupying the school’s student center for multiple weeks in protest of poor housing conditions. Several students have reported encountering mice, mold and flooding in the school’s dorms.