Civil rights activist and leader Rev. Jesse Jackson was hospitalized in Washington, D.C., after a fall at Howard University on Monday. He was lending his support to the students at the university who are protesting the current living conditions and the lack of adequate housing on the campus.

Jackson was scheduled to meet Howard University President Wayne A.I. Frederick and other administrators. According to Jackson's spokesperson, Frank Watkins, the incident occurred as the reverend entered a campus building, the Associated Press reports. The 80-year-old fell in the Blackburn University Center and received a cut on his head.

Jackson's staff, alongside a university administrator, escorted him to Howard University Hospital to run tests, including a CT scan. Though the results from the test were normal, Jackson stayed overnight in the hospital to undergo observation. Jackson's daughter, Santita Jackson, tweeted that he is “resting comfortably & doing well."

Since mid-October, Howard's students have organized protests against the university, occupying the Blackburn University Center, much to the dismay of President Frederick, who demanded the students end their sit-in.

“Howard University’s proud tradition of student protest has never been — and can never be — invoked as a justification for tactics that harm our students," the university leader said.

Jackson was there to negotiate terms with Frederick so that the students would end their protests without facing the consequence of suspensions, expulsions and the termination of their scholarships. The two leaders were to come to an agreement that investigations would be conducted on student dorms regarding hazardous mold. Students affirm that Jackson got the ball rolling, but their demands still have not been met.

Jackson's recent fall is the third time this year that he was hospitalized. The reverend, who battles Parkinson's disease, endured gallbladder surgery earlier this year, and he and his wife, Jacqueline Jackson, were also hospitalized in August after they both contracted the coronavirus.

nonviolent-protest

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week