Rev. Joseph Lowery Released from Hospital
The Rev. Joseph Lowery was released from an Atlanta hospital over the weekend after having spent two weeks there.
According to reports, the civil rights icon was released from the Emory University Hospital Midtown Saturday night after being admitted on Jan. 30.
Lowery, 88, was experiencing shortness of breath when he was taken to the hospital, where he was later diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, or a blockage of an artery of the lung.
He was subsequently placed in intensive care and spent two weeks resting as his condition steadily improved.
Hospital spokesman Lance Skelly said Sunday that Lowery remained in stable condition for nearly his entire time at the hospital.
Though Lowery is officially retired from preaching, the United Methodist minister is still a sought after speaker and last year gave the benediction at the inauguration of President Obama.
In his younger days, Lowery helped lead the Montgomery bus boycott, headed the Alabama Civic Affairs Association, led the Selma to Montgomery march in 1965, and co-founded groups including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Black Leadership Forum.
Decades later, Lowery has still remained active in the civil rights movement and advocates for racial justice, human rights, and world peace.
Last year, Lowery was awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, considered the highest civilian award in the United States.
During the award presentation, Obama described Lowery as "a giant of the Moses generation of civil rights leaders."
