Bro. Reverend Al Sharpton | Honorary #6
Bro. Reverend Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. is a prominent religious leader and political activist, born on October 3, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York. After his father left the family, Sharpton was raised by his mother, who supported them by working as a maid and relying on government assistance. They moved into public housing, and Sharpton attended public schools in Queens and Brooklyn, graduating from Samuel J. Tilden High School in 1972. A charismatic presence from an early age, he was ordained as a Pentecostal minister at just 10 years old and often traveled to preach, even sharing the stage with legendary gospel singer Mahalia Jackson.
Bro. Rev. Sharpton’s involvement in activism began early. He joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and worked with its “Operation BreadBasket” initiative, which aimed to promote workplace diversity. He also helped lead protests against the A&P supermarket chain. After high school, he attended Brooklyn College for two years before leaving to become youth director for Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s presidential campaign. He also served as tour manager for soul music icon James Brown.
In 1971, Bro. Rev. Sharpton founded the National Youth Movement, focused on raising funds and support for underprivileged youth. Over the years, he has been a leading voice against racially motivated violence. He brought national attention to incidents like the Bernhard Goetz subway shooting—where Goetz shot four Black men and was ultimately acquitted—and the Howard Beach attack, in which three Black men were assaulted by a group of white men. Sharpton organized protests and public demonstrations in response to both events. He later established the National Action Network, an organization committed to voter education and supporting small businesses.
Bro. Rev. Sharpton also played a key role in the controversial Tawana Brawley case. Brawley, a Black teenager, alleged that she was abducted and raped by a group of white men, including police officers. A grand jury ultimately found her claims to be false, but Sharpton had already drawn significant media attention to the case and led several protests in her defense.
Throughout his career, Bro. Rev. Sharpton has run for multiple public offices, including the New York State Assembly in 1978, the U.S. Senate in 1992 and 1994, mayor of New York City in 1997, and even sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004.
While Bro. Rev. Sharpton has his share of critics, he also commands a strong base of supporters. He is the host of the television show PoliticsNation and the radio program Keepin’ It Real.
On August 14, 2009, in Atlanta, GA, Bro. Reverend Sharpton was initiated into our wondrous band.
Awards:
Los Angeles Chapter of the NAACP ‘Man of the Year’ award, Black Entertainment Television Humanitarian Award, and Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Award.
