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Reverend Al Sharpton |
Civil Rights Leader Reverend Al Sharpton
to Speak At Adelphi University
Garden City, NY
February 2008
Reverend Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network (NAN) and one of America’s most-renowned civil rights leaders, will discuss his “Perspectives on Leadership and Activism” as part of Adelphi University’s Black History Month celebration, on Wednesday, February 27, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. in the Ruth S. Harley University Center Ballroom, 1 South Avenue, Garden City, NY. The event, sponsored by Adelphi’s Student Government Association, is free and open to the public, but tickets are required.
An outspoken political activist for nearly two decades, Reverend Sharpton has built a social movement from the ground up, empowering the disenfranchised, and giving a voice to the frustrations of thousands. As founder and president of NAN, a broad-based civil rights organization, he has challenged the American political establishment to ensure that all people are included in the national dialogue, regardless of race, gender, class, or beliefs. NAN currently has more than 45 chapters and affiliates throughout the country.
Reverend Sharpton’s civil rights career began at age 13 when Reverends Jesse Jackson and William Jones appointed him as youth director of the New York branch of Operation Breadbasket—an organization founded by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which distributed food in poor black communities. At age 16, he founded the National Youth Movement, which organized young people around the country to push for increased voter registration, cultural awareness, and job training programs.
Reverend Sharpton has received national attention for his involvement in some of the most politically and racially charged events of the past 20 years, fighting against racial injustice and inequality. In 1999, when Amadou Diallo was shot by four New York City police officers, he led 1,200 people in a civil disobedience protest. In November 2006, after Sean Bell was shot to death on the day of his wedding, Reverend Sharpton organized hundreds of thousands for a march to shed light upon the atrocity. In addition, he has worked on human rights issues in the Sudan, Israel, Europe, and throughout Africa and the Middle East, where he has formed alliances with international peace activists.
According to TIME Magazine, he is the “most important black leader in the city of New York.” His daily radio show, Keeping it Real, can be heard in more than 40 markets in the United States.
Born on October 3, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York, Reverend Sharpton began his ministry at the age of four. He still preaches throughout the United States and abroad on most Sundays, and averages 80 formal sermons a year. He and his wife Kathy Jordan have two daughters, Dominique and Ashley.
Free tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and must be picked up in advance at the PantherTainment window located on the ground floor of the Ruth S. Harley University Center. The window is open Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information about this and other events, please visit www.adelphi.edu, or call the Cultural Events Hotline at (516) 877-4555.
About Adelphi University: Adelphi University, chartered in 1896, was the first institution of higher education for the liberal arts and sciences on Long Island. Through its schools and programs—The College of Arts and Sciences, the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, the Honors College, the Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, University College, and the Schools of Business, Nursing, and Social Work—the co-educational university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as professional and educational programs for adults. Adelphi University currently enrolls more than 8,300 students from 40 states and 50 foreign countries. With its main campus in Garden City and centers in Manhattan, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie, the University maintains a commitment to liberal studies in tandem with rigorous professional preparation and active citizenship.
Media Contact
For additional information, please contact:
Kali Chan
Media Relations Director
p - 516.877.4040
f - 516.877.3266
e - chan@adelphi.edu
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