Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism to Assess Rev. Al Sharpton's 50 Years of Activism

On October 11, Rev. Al Sharpton, President and Founder of the National Action Network, one of the country’s preeminent civil rights organizations, will be the subject of a day-long Columbia University School of Journalism symposium that examines the impact he has had on civil rights and urbanizing the doctrines of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for half of a century. 

Intergenerational civil rights leaders, scholars and media analysts will be among those examining Rev. Sharpton’s leadership and the historic impact he has had and how he has further developed the movement of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and how he has set a tone on fighting racial injustice for all communities of color. 

Attendees will include: Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rainbow PUSH Coalition; Marc Morial, CEO of the National Urban League (NUL); former New York City Mayor David Dinkins; MSNBC television host Joy-Ann Reid; television contributor Angela Rye; television contributor Symone Sanders; Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO of FPWA; Dr. Obery Hendricks, Columbia University; Dr. Christina Greer, Fordham University; Former NY Governor David Paterson; Dr. Hazel Dukes, (New York State NAACP); Maya Wiley, Senior Vice President of Social Justice, The New School Former Congressman Charles B. Rangel; Fernando Ferrer, former NYC Mayoral candidate and Co-Chair of NY Mercury Public Affairs; Charles Ellison, Correspondent TheRoot.com; Gwen Carr, Eric Garner’s mother; Errol Louis, television host and journalist; and - William Bell, Father of Sean Bell; Kadiatou Diallo, Amadou Diallo’s mother; Korey Wise, Central Park Five; Iris Baez, mother of Anthony Baez; and Shianne Norman, mother of Lloyd Morgan, Jr.

The event run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

At of thirteen, under the tutelage of Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Dr. William Augustus Jones, Rev. Sharpton became the youth director of Operation Breadbasket, an organization using the power of Black ministers and the organizing strength of churches to create economic opportunities in Black communities. 

National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, nationality or gender.

For more information go to www.nationalactionnetwork.net

Source: Mercury