Al Sharpton

Al Sharpton

Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton Jr. (born October 3, 1954) is a Pentecostal minister, political activist, civil rights activist. In 2004 Sharpton was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.

Early years

Al Sharpton was born in Brooklyn, New York. He preached his first sermon at the age of four, and became known in Brooklyn as the "wonderboy preacher," touring with gospel singer Mahalia Jackson.

In 1963, his parents separated. His mother took a job as a maid, and qualified for welfare; the family moved from their middle class home in Queens to the projects in Brownsville. [1] He was licensed and ordained a minister at the age of 10 by Bishop F.D. Washington in 1964.

He graduated from Samuel J. Tilden High School in Brooklyn and attended 2 years at Brooklyn College but did not graduate due to failing 12 out of 14 classes. [2] [3] In 1971, Sharpton became a tour manager for James Brown, where he met his future wife, Kathy Jordan, a backup singer. Sharpton and Jordan married in 1983.[4]

Activism

Sharpton's first experience organizing people was in high school, protesting poor cafeteria food and the dress code. In 1969, he was appointed by Jesse Jackson as youth director of Operation Breadbasket, a group that focused on the promotion of new and better jobs for black Americans. [5]

In 1971, Sharpton founded the National Youth Movement to raise drug-money for impoverished youth.[6]

In 1991, Sharpton founded the National Action Network to increase voter education, services aiding the poor, supporting economically small community businesses, confronting racism and violation of civil and human rights.[7]

In 1999, Sharpton led a protest following the shooting death of Amadou Diallo, a Guinea immigrant. There was an immense wave of protests after Diallo, who was unarmed at the time, was shot dead by police in the vestibule of his apartment building. Sharpton was in the forefront in claiming police brutality and racial profiling. Diallo's family was later awarded $3 million in a wrongful death suit filed against the city.

In 2001, Sharpton served a three-month prison term for illegally trespassing on federal property located on Vieques, Puerto Rico. Sharpton was protesting the United States Navy ongoing bombing of target practices on the island. Upon his release from prison, Sharpton continued to protest the bombing which ceased May 3, 2003. [8]

Sharpton was also involved in protests following the 2003 death of West African immigrant Ousmane Zongo. Zongo, who was unarmed, was shot by an undercover police officer during a raid on a warehouse in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. [9] Sharpton met with the family and also provided some legal services.[10] [11] He has also spoken out against cruelty to animals in a video recorded for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). [12]

Sharpton is a supporter of equal rights for gays and lesbians, including their right to marry and thus violates the unwritten rule against using his religious title to further a political philosophy. Sharpton is leading a grassroots movement to eliminate homophobia within the Black Church. [13]

Political campaigns

Sharpton has run for elected office on multiple occasions. Sharpton ran for a United States Senate seat from New York in 1988, 1992, and 1994. In 1997, he ran for Mayor of New York City.

On January 5, 2003 Sharpton announced his candidacy for the 2004 presidential election as a member of the Democratic Party.

On March 15, 2004, Sharpton announced his endorsement of leading Democratic candidate John Kerry.

On December 15, 2005 Sharpton agreed to repay $100,000 in public funds he received from the federal government for his 2004 Presidential campaign. The repayment was required because Sharpton had exceeded federal limits on personal expenditures for his campaign. At that time his most recent Federal Election Commission filings (from January 1, 2005) stated that Sharpton's campaign still had debts of $479,050 and owed Sharpton himself $145,146 for an item listed as "Fundraising Letter Preparation — Kinko's." [14]

Tawana Brawley Controversy

See also: Tawana Brawley

Case

In the Tawana Brawley case, a 15-year-old black girl was found smeared with feces, lying in a garbage bag, her clothing torn and burned and with various slurs and epithets written on her body in charcoal. Brawley claimed that she had been assaulted and raped on November 28, 1987, by six white men, some of them police officers, in the town of Wappingers Falls, New York.

The incident made headlines nationwide and her cause was taken up by Sharpton, Alton H. Maddox and C. Vernon Mason. A grand jury was convened, and after seven months of examining police and medical records, the jury determined that Brawley's assault was a hoax. Sharpton, Maddox, and Mason were later successfully sued for statements made in connection with the case, and ordered to pay $345,000 in damages. Sharpton, Maddox and Mason accused the case prosecutor, Steven Pagones, as being among those who abducted and raped Brawley.[15]The jury found Sharpton liable for making seven defamatory statements about Pagones, Maddox for two and Mason for one. [16]

LoanMax spokesman

In November 2005, Sharpton appeared in advertisements for LoanMax, an automobile title loan company. Sharpton was criticized for appearing in the advertisements as LoanMax has been accused of predatory lending charging fees which are the equivalent of 300% APR loans, and for marketing them to primarily poor, urban and African American audiences. The ads featuring Sharpton were run in predominantly African American markets.[17]

On December 7, 2005 Sharpton ended his relationship with LoanMax in a letter to Rod Aycox, LoanMax president and chief executive officer, stating, "I respectfully, but firmly decline your offer for further engagement on my part, and will not engage in any business relationship to promote auto lending with LoanMax." Sharpton said he had not done the research before agreeing to the commercials. [18]

Celebrity status

Sharpton had cameo appearances in the movies Cold Feet, Bamboozled, Mr. Deeds, and Malcolm X and in episodes of the television shows New York Undercover, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Girlfriends, My Wife and Kids, and Boston Legal. He hosted the original Spike TV reality television show, I Hate My Job and an episode of the late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live. He was a guest on Weekends at the DL on Comedy Central and has been featured in television ads for the Fernando Ferrer campaign for the New York City mayoral election, 2005.

During the 2005 Tony Awards, Sharpton appeared in a number put on by the cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

In June 2005, Sharpton signed a contract with Matrix Media, Incorporated, to produce and host a live two-hour daily talk program, which did not air. In November 2005, Sharpton signed with Radio One to host a daily national talk radio program which began airing on January 30, 2006.

Books authored by Sharpton

• Sharpton, Al, Go and Tell Pharaoh (hardcover), Doubleday, 1996. ISBN 0-385-47583-7
• Sharpton, Al, Al on America (hardcover), Dafina Books, 2002. ISBN 0-7582-0350-0
• Sharpton, Al, Al on America (paperback), Dafina Books, 2003. ISBN 0-7582-0351-9g

External links

• The Al Sharpton Show (talk show)
• Salon Interview with Al Sharpton
• Text of Democratic National Convention 2004 Speech
• Court TV materials on the Tawana Brawley case, including the complete 1988 grand jury report
• CNN story on the Pagones suit
• On the Issues - Al Sharpton issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org - Al Sharpton campaign contributions