Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. stabilized, breathing on his own

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., is breathing on his own and his condition has stabilized, his family said in a statement Sunday.

Jackson, 84, is a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and after King’s assassination became a national civil rights leader, running for president as a Democrat in 1984 and 1988. In the early 1970s, Jackson launched Operation PUSH as a way to improve economic conditions in Black communities across the United States.

He was hospitalized last week to enable doctors to monitor his progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurological condition.

Jackson, the Rainbow PUSH founder, is breathing on his own and not on life support, the family said in a statement meant to correct rumors and inaccurate reports.

“In fact, today he called for 2,000 churches to prepare 2,000