Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton Jr. (born October 3, 1954) is an American Baptist minister, political and civil rights/social justice activist, and radio talk show host. In 2004, Sharpton was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election.
Sharpton hosts his own radio talk show, Keepin It Real and makes regular guest appearances on The O'Reilly Factor and MSNBC.
Sharpton's supporters praise "his ability and willingness to defy the power structure that is seen as the cause of their suffering" and consider him "a man who is willing to tell it like it is". Donna Wilson, host of a talk radio program on WWRL in New York City, said of him that "Al Sharpton was born to lead".
Sharpton's critics describe him as "a political radical who is to blame, in part, for the deterioration of race relations". Conservative writer and activist David Horowitz has called Sharpton an "anti-Semitic racist", sociologist Orlando Patterson has referred to him as a racial arsonist, and liberal newspaper columnist Derrick Z. Jackson has called him the black equivalent of Richard Nixon and Pat Robertson.
Sharpton sees much of the criticism as a sign of his effectiveness. "In many ways, what they consider criticism is complimenting my job," said Sharpton. "An activist’s job is to make public civil rights issues until there can be a climate for change. So when people get angry at me for raising these issues and making them public, well, that’s my job! That’s what I’m supposed to do. If I could not get the public’s attention on an issue, then I’m not a good activist."
He is the basis for the character "Reverend Bacon" in the novel and film Bonfire of the Vanities, The (1990).
Introduced Michael Jackson (I) at James Brown (I)'s funeral, telling the crowd: "I don't care what the media says tonight, James Brown (I) wanted Michael Jackson (I) with him here today. He said ... 'I love Michael.' He said, 'Tell him don't worry about coming home. They always scandalize those that have the talent." (30 December 2006).
His ancestors were owned by relatives of the late Senator Strom Thurmond.
Son of Rev. Alfred Charles Sharpton, Sr. (born in Florida, circa 1926, living in Orlando, Florida, in 2004) and wife Ada (born 1925).
