Human rights activist Rev Jesse Jackson has suffered a blow to the head after a fall at Howard University, according to his non-profit the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Two-time presidential candidate Rev Jackson, 80, was helping students protest over the living conditions in their university halls and had just attended a meeting on campus when the incident occurred.
He was admitted to hospital for Howard University hospital for tests and will be monitored overnight.
“We thank you for your prayers,” said his daughter Santita Jackson on Twitter, remarking that her father is “resting” and “doing well” after the fall.
Rev Jackson and his wife tested positive for Covid-19 in late August, and both were treated at Northwestern memorial hospital. Rev Jackson also suffers from Parkinson’s disease.
Before he fell, Rev Jackson had made an agreement with Howard University’s administration to investigate dorms containing hazardous mould and arranged for student protesters not to be expelled. He fell before he was able to deliver the news to the students.
#BlackStudentsMatter has been trending over an alleged housing shortage and unacceptable living conditions at the historically Black research university in Washington DC. Around 150 students are supporting those who claim they have found mould developing in dorms, which they believe has developed in wet and humid conditions and due to them not being occupied for a year.
“A lot of the dorms have their own issues between mould in the dorm and being different infestations of whatever different creatures like rats and roaches in the dorms,” Howard student Jaelan Trapp told CBS. “Sometimes the dorms don’t have heating, sometimes the pipes are bursting.”
Some student demonstrators have reportedly erected tents on the campus, refusing to sleep in their dorms, and have allegedly been threatened with suspension and expulsion by the university’s administration as a result.
The Independent has contacted Howard University for further comment.
