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Sat: Rev. Al Sharpton to host ‘Say it Loud: I’m Black and I’m Proud at 50’ at the Apollo Theater at 8pm
—(New York, NY) – Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton, president and founder of the National Action Network (NAN) will host “Say it Loud: I’m Black and I’m Proud at 50” at The Apollo Theater on Saturday, October 20th. The event is a tribute to the incomparable “Godfather of Soul” James Brown who was a surrogate father to Rev. Sharpton.
In 1970, at the age of 16, Rev. Sharpton founded the National Youth Movement, Inc., which organized young people around the country to push for increased access to awareness of voter registration, cultural competence, and job training programs. It was then that Rev. Sharpton forged a friendship with Teddy Brown, the son of the “Godfather of Soul” James Brown. Tragically, Teddy was killed in a car accident and in the months following his passing, James Brown took Rev. Sharpton in as though he was his own and developed an inextricable bond. Rev. Sharpton’s approach to fatherhood, mentorship, and his unrelenting fight for justice was largely influenced by Mr. Brown who taught him, “You can’t set your sights on nothing little; you got to go for the whole hog.” Young Sharpton traveled around the world with James Brown and continued to be a dutiful surrogate son until Mr. Brown’s death in 2006.