About the National Action Network
History
Founded in New York City in 1991, National Action Network, Inc. (“NAN”) has been on the front lines of creating social change and last year celebrated its silver anniversary, representing a quarter century of an organization that gives voice to the voiceless and acts as a champion for the dispossessed.
Birthed out of the movement lead by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., NAN has continued to give life to the Dream that Dr. King had that America would live up to its promise of equality under the law and equal opportunity for all its citizens. Under the audacious leadership of founder and President, Reverend Al Sharpton, and with the guidance of Board Chairman Reverend Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson (Senior Pastor, Grace Baptist Church, Mount Vernon, New York), NAN has steadfastly remained committed to the principles of non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to engage and confront the social vices of police misconduct and abuse, gun violence, official assaults on voting rights, workers’ rights, affirmative action, inequities in education and employment opportunities, access to capital, health care and discrimination motivated by race, class, gender, sexual orientation or status, religion and national origin.
NAN has been nationally recognized as the go-to organization for families facing tragedies like police brutality, gang violence, gun violence, and loss of homes or businesses due to predatory lending. NAN has advocated for those who have been locked out of schools or quality educational institutions because of the color of their skin, as well as those who have been denied the right to vote, drive, or walk while being black. The families of Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo, among others, have all turned to National Action Network and Rev. Sharpton to ensure that authorities understand that Black Lives Matter, and that policing—and the criminal justice system—are broken and need fixing.
NAN’s efforts in giving voice and answering the calls for justice in these situations has led to a transformation of policing and criminal justice in recent years. The U.S. Department of Justice has entered consent decrees in cities across the nation—from Newark to Baltimore to Cincinnati and Cleveland to Ferguson to New Orleans to Los Angeles and Oakland—all due to those jurisdictions having allowed unconstitutional pattern and practice violations in policing and criminal justice. In New York City, NAN stood at the forefront of leading a silent march down 5th Avenue to call for an end to NYC’s stop and frisk practices, which a federal court ultimately deemed was happening in an unconstitutional manner.
Over the years, NAN has developed its economic opportunity and diversity work by ensuring that major corporations maintain good citizenship and corporate responsibility. NAN has helped opened doors for minority- and women-owned businesses for inclusion in media and advertising, money management, entertainment and educational opportunities. NAN, along with other civil rights organizations, has developed Memorandums of Understanding with major corporations for improvements in diversity and inclusion in corporate governance, employment, workforce recruitment and retention, procurement, programing, philanthropy and community investments. Through a boycott of last year’s Oscars, NAN forced Hollywood to deal with diversity on the silver screen, and the most recent Oscars saw a substantial presence of diverse actors, directors, and others in the film industry being honored or nominated.
NAN has fought for policy and legislative change in situations where the government has failed to serve the best interest of its citizens. Some situations in which NAN intervened occurred in Flint, Michigan, where government neglect resulted in poisoned drinking water and in Vieques, Puerto Rico, an island polluted because the U.S. Navy used the land for bombing exercises. NAN stood up with hundreds of people on the streets, in the airports and in the halls of Congress to demand fair and just treatment of immigrants, both those within our borders and those trying to reach our borders in search of a better life for themselves and their families.
In January 2017, on the weekend preceding the MLK Holiday and the nation’s inauguration of its 45th president, NAN marched with thousands in the cold, rainy Washington, DC streets to tell the new Trump Administration that we would not be moved on issues of civil and human rights and would stand our ground for the protection of our civil liberties.
NAN has been vigilant in demanding change and respect for our nation’s constitution. With the transition from President Barack Obama—with whom NAN and Rev. Sharpton developed an historic relationship—to the following administration and the uncertainties it brings to America, NAN remains fully engaged in protecting those hard fought and blood-soaked victories for civil rights and civil liberties.
Most important to NAN is remaining connected to its roots. NAN continues its weekly Saturday rallies and broadcast at NAN’s House of Justice. The organization holds a free Legal Night clinic once a month at its headquarters in central Harlem. At the forefront of NAN’s more than 110 active chapters across the country, Reverend Sharpton has remained accessible to the community over these past 26 years. NAN maintains offices in New York City, Washington DC., Atlanta, Ga., Miami, Fl. and Los Angeles, Ca. Rev. Sharpton’s voice continues to be heard nationally everyday on his syndicated radio shows and “Politics Nation” every Sunday on MSNBC. NAN maintains a significant youth division and invests in the development of the next generation of leaders. “No Justice! No Peace!” still resonates as a vital call for justice around the world.
April 2017
NAN 2016 – 2017 Timeline, Stay Tuned for 2018 Year in Review!
April 13-16, 2016 – National Action Network (NAN) hosted its national annual convention in New York City honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. About 10,000 people participated in the four–day convention, making it one of the largest civil rights gatherings in recent history. The convention brought together influential national leaders in civil rights, government, labor, the church, business, academy, politics, media and activism, to assess the current state of affairs. This was also NAN’s silver anniversary, 25 years of giving voice to the voiceless and being on the forefront fighting for justice and equality for all who deserve. Some of the topics that were addressed at the convention included civil rights, education, gun-violence, labor, health-care and the state of the black media. All the key presidential candidates, including both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders addressed the convention.
May 7, 2016 – New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio appeared at National Action Network to discuss NYC issues.
May 26, 2016 – Rev. Al Sharpton held a press conference in Washington, DC at the National Press Club to urge U.S. governmental agencies not to contract with companies that have exclusionary boards and policies.
June 4, 2016 – Rev. Al Sharpton discussed the legacy of Muhammad Ali at the NAN Saturday Action Rally in Harlem, New York.
June 10, 2016 – Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy at the funeral of Staten Island teenager Dayshen McKenzie who died from an asthma attack after being chased by a group of teens.
June 12, 2016 – National Action Network’s Central Florida Chapter released a statement condemning the mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub.
June 15, 2016 – NAN praised Brooklyn’s District Attorney’s office for securing an indictment in the case of Chanel Petro-Nixon, a case that NAN helped to raise awareness of missing children.
June 17, 2016 – NAN’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel Michael A. Hardy provided video testimony to the Democratic National Committee on voting rights issues
June 18, 2016 – Nellie Kemp brought her son, Kenneth Kemp to NAN’s House of Justice. Mr. Kemp received clemency from President Barack Obama through the work of NAN’s Legal night and the assistance of NAN’s General Counsel & Executive Vice-President Michael A. Hardy.
June 23, 2016 – National Action Network issued a statement and cautioned against the use of violence following the acquittal of a Baltimore police officer in the case of Freddie Gray, a
young black man who died while in police custody because of its alleged negligence in transporting it prisoners in Vans without the proper safety features to protect.
June 23, 2016 – NAN applauded the decision by the United States Supreme Court to uphold Affirmative Action at the University of Texas, calling it the defining race decision of this session because it will help students of color be admitted to the country’s public colleges and universities.
June 26, 2016 – Rev. Al Sharpton and National Action Network marched in the New York City’s Gay Pride Parade along with the Governor, Mayor, statewide elected officials and Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton. The marched also marked the importance of gun control and to honor those who loss life in the Orlando night club shooting.
July 2, 2016 – Rev. Al Sharpton spoke at the Essence Music Festival and pledged to register more than 50,000 new voters for the presidential election.
July 14, 2016 – Rev. Al Sharpton joined other civil rights leaders at the White House
July 15, 2016 – Rev. Al Sharpton spoke at the funeral of Alton Sterling who was killed by police in Baton Rouge, LA.
July 16, 2016 – On the eve of the two-year anniversary of Eric Garner’s death, NAN and Eric Garner’s family led a march in Brooklyn, New York.
July 17, 2016 – On the 2-year anniversary of Eric Garner’s death, a church service was held at New Hope Baptist Church in Elizabeth, N.J. with Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr, Rev. Al Sharpton, National Action Network, New Jersey state organizer Rev. Steffie Bartley and over 15 mothers who lost loved ones to police misconduct
July 17, 2016 – Rev. Al Sharpton condemned the murder of police officers in Baton Rouge.
July 20, 2016 – Reverend Al Sharpton delivered remarks during the plenary session at NAACP’s 2016 Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio.
July 23, 2016 – At the National Action Network Saturday rally in Harlem, Rev. Al Sharpton with Eric Garner’s mom Gwen Carr at his side, volunteered to pay the fines of New York Liberty players who wore t-shirts expressing their support for the victims of police brutality
July 28, 2016 – National Action Network’s Los Angeles Chapter held a Town Hall Meeting on gun violence that featured Judge Greg Mathis.
July 28, 2016 – NAN held a Ministers lunch during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia with hundreds of preachers. Judge Greg Mathis, Gwen Carr, Eric Garner’s mother, were among the participants who attended the gathering.
July 29, 2016 – NAN and Rev. Al Sharpton applauded the federal appeals court in North Carolina for striking down the state’s requirement for voters to show identification before casting ballots, while also reinstating early voting, a measure that has been a part of National Action Network’s mission around the country for years.
August 3, 2016 – NAN’s national youth director, Mary Pat Hector was featured on Essence.com, promoting Historically Black Colleges and Universities and youth activism and advocacy
August 6, 2016 – Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the keynote address at the Michael Brown Foundation Annual Scholarship Awards Dinner in St. Louis.
August 7, 2016 – Rev. Al Sharpton spoke at the 2nd annual Rainbow of Mothers Gala in memory of Michael Brown in the presence of mothers from across the country who have lost children due to police misconduct. The event was held in St. Louis.
August 10, 2016 – At Grace Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon, New York, Reverend Al Sharpton delivered an electrifying speech on voting rights. The church is headed by NAN Chairman Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson.
August 20, 2016 – During NAN’s weekly Saturday action rally in Harlem, Rev. Al Sharpton questioned the motives in the selection persecution of Nate Parker, who was charged and exonerated for raping a woman 17 years ago. Parker, who directed the movie Birth of a Nation had been mentioned as an early contender for the Oscars.
August 25, 2016 – National Action Network Northeast Regional Director, Minister Kirsten John Foy joined other groups outside of Trump Towers in NYC to protest Donald Trump’s divisiveness.
August 27, 2016 – George Edward Curry, a media pioneer and longtime advocate for the black press and civil rights was laid to rest in his hometown, with the Rev. Al Sharpton delivering the eulogy. Curry appeared weekly on Reverend Sharpton’s nationally syndicated radio show.
August 27, 2016 – Hundreds of activists converged on D.C. and later marched to the lobbying office of the National Rifle Association (NRA) to call for gun reform and to denounce hatred. The event was sponsored by NAN in coalition with labor and other civil rights groups.
September 6 and September 7, 2016 – National Action Network hosted its annual Legislative and Policy Conference on Capitol Hill to lay out the organization’s policy agenda for 2017.
Participants heard from Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. Members of Congress from New York, New Jersey, Alabama, Michigan, Florida, Virginia, Texas, South Carolina, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Other speakers included Rep. James Clyburn, (D-SC), the U.S. House Assistant Democratic Leader and Vanita Gupta, Head of the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. There was also an opportunity to attend a special
White House policy briefing where participants heard from Obama administration cabinet officials including Broderick Johnson, Cabinet Secretary and Assistant to the President; DJ Patil, U.S. Chief Data Scientist at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Ron Davis, Director of the Community Oriented Policing Services (C.O.P.S.) office and Executive Director of the Presidential Task Force on 21st Century Policing and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, U.S. Department of Justice.
September 18, 2016 – The mothers of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner and Michael Brown made a special appearance at the 2016 Triumph Awards presented by National Action Network and TV One. The show recognizes distinguished individuals and corporations in civil rights, the arts, entertainment, education, business and sports. Taped at Atlanta’s Tabernacle concert hall, NAN honored Sean “Diddy” Combs, Spike Lee, Jermaine Dupri, Attorney Benjamin Crump, FedEx executive Gina Adams and Mastercard. Performances and appearances were made by Nick Cannon, Fantasia, Eric Benet, Joe, BJ the Chicago Kid, Juan and Deborah Joy Winans, V. Bozeman, Jekalyn Carr, JB Smoove, Dionne Warwick, Marc Lamont Hill and Dondre Whitfield.
September 26, 2016 – Reverend Sharpton speaks at the site of the Black Wall Street Memorial before leading the Crutcher Justice and Healing March. Terence Crutcher, an unarmed Black man, was shot and killed. His sister, Dr. Tiffany Crutcher, would later appear on Reverend Sharpton’s radio and television show.
October 3, 2016 – Reverend Al Sharpton celebrates his 62nd birthday.
October 4, 2016 – Reverend Al Sharpton hosts a screening of Nat Turner’s The Birth of a Nation in Harlem, New York.
October 5, 2016 – United Palace presents Reverend Al Sharpton with the Amelia Boynton Robinson “Keeper of the Flame” award for his service.
October 8, 2016 – National Action Network partners with Haitian-American clergy and elected officials to spearhead a drive to encourage New Yorkers to donate supplies, clothing and other materials in the wake of a devastating Hurricane.
October 13, 2016 – Panasonic Corporation of North America Chairman & CEO Joseph M. Taylor announced that it would become the anchor funder of the NAN-Newark Tech World, a technology education center in Newark, NJ. Reverend Al Sharpton and NAN New Jersey leaders joined Newark’s Mayor Ras J. Baraka in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
November 6, 2016 – In one of his last televised interviews before the election, President Obama grants Reverend Al Sharpton an exclusive one-on-one interview that airs on PoliticsNation.
During the interview, Obama talks about his record on civil rights, what he hopes to see from the next president and stresses the importance of voting.
November 8, 2016 – Donald J. Trump is elected the 45th president of the United States of America. Reverend Al Sharpton and National Action Network pledge to mount an aggressive stand against policies that are anti-civil rights.
November 14, 2016 – Reverend Al Sharpton announce a protest in Washington, D.C. ahead of Donald J. Trump’s inauguration. NAN also joined with six other civil rights organization in vowing to oppose threats to racial justice under Trump’s presidency.
November 17, 2016 – New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the National Action Network’s Kirsten John Foy kicked off an effort to counter hate crimes in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s victory.
November 19, 2016 – Reverend Al Sharpton criticized President Trump’s selection of U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions to be the next Attorney General.
November 20, 2016 – Reverend Al Sharpton demands a more fair and equitable justice system for police-involved shooting victims like Sean Bell.
November 24, 2016 – Reverend Al Sharpton joins the family of Eric Garner, NYC Public Advocate Tish James, and National Urban League CEO Marc H. Morial in feeding the hungry on Thanksgiving Day.
November 26, 2016 – NAN kicks off We Shall Not Be Moved rally at National Capitol Baptist Convention held outside of Washington, D.C.
November 29, 2016 – National Action Network supports the #Fightfor15 campaign to wage the minimum wage to $15. Reverend K.W. Tulloss, Western Regional Director and President of NAN’s Los Angeles chapter was arrested while standing in solidarity with workers.
December 1, 2016 – At the National Action Network Board of Directors meeting, the board pledge to spend 2017 challenging President-elect Trump and his Attorney General pick Jeff Sessions on civil rights, voting rights and criminal justice.
December 6, 2016 – Reverend Al Sharpton publicly demanded answers from Attorney General pick Jeff Sessions about the charges against the police officer who shot and killed Walter Scott.
December 20, 2016 – On the 30-year anniversary of Howard Beach, the family of Michael Griffith—one of the victims who died in the racial attack after being chased to death—present Reverend Al Sharpton with the Michael Griffith/Cedric Sandiford Civil Rights Leadership Award.
December 24, 2016 – National Action Network hosts annual Christmas Eve Community Dinner & Toy Giveaway.
December 29, 2016 – Dr. Maulana Karenga, the founder of Kawanzaa speaks at NAN’s House of Justice in celebration of the holiday’s 50th anniversary.
January 14, 2017 – Despite rain and cold weather, thousands converged on Washington, D.C. over the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., weekend for the “We Shall Not Be Moved” march and rally. Held a week before the inauguration, the marchers pledged to defend civil rights under the Trump administration.
January 21, 2017 – NAN leaders participate in the National Women’s March on Washington. Representatives from the organization also participated in sister marches across the country to demand equal rights for women.
February 1, 2017 – Reverend Al Sharpton voices concerns about President Trump’s U.S. Supreme Court pick, Judge Neil Gorsuch.
March 2, 2017 – Reverend Al Sharpton speaks at the New School for the 2017 Henry Cohen Lecture Series.
March 8, 2017 – Reverend Al Sharpton and other civil rights leaders meet with Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
March 8, 2017 – NAN’s Youth Director, Mary-Pat Hector becomes the youngest person in Georgia to run for office.
April 10, 2017 – Rev. Al Sharpton joins NY State Governor Andrew Cuomo in signing legislations which raises the age of adult criminal liability from 16 to 18 years old. Leaving North Carolina as the only state in the nation that continues to prosecute teenagers as adults.
October 12, 2017 – National Action Network honored actress and New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon, singer and songwriter Valerie Simpson, and author and physician Dr. Ian Smith at the annual Triumph Awards held at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
October 19-20, 2017 – National Action Network’s New Jersey chapters held their first NAN statewide conference, including a Women’s Empowerment Luncheon. Speakers included Rev. Al Sharpton, former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevy, and NAN NJ chapter leaders Rev. Steffie Bartley and Rev. David Jefferson.
November 8, 2017 – National Action Network’s Youth Director launched the “Swipe Out Hunger” campaign at Spelman College and Morehouse College to deal with food insecurity.
November 15, 2017 – The National Action Network Board asked Rev. Al Sharpton to delay succession plan and to continue as president of NAN though the 2020 election.
November 21, 2017 – National Action Network denounced the deportation of thousands of Haitian nationals and their families.
November 23, 2017 – National Action Network provided Thanksgiving Day dinner to the homeless and senior citizens at the House of Justice in Harlem.
November 27, 2017 – Rev. Al Sharpton met with rapper Meek Mill at a Pennsylvania jail and called for criminal justice reform.
November 29, 2017 – National Action Network participated in a coalition protest to spread awareness about the slave trade in Libya.
November 29, 2017 – Rev. Al Sharpton appeared on Lee Daniels’ STAR television show.
December 6, 2017 – National Action Network officials meet with Ambassador Elmahdi Elmajerbi of Libya to discuss reports of a slave trade in Libya.
December 7, 2017 – National Action Network’s Vice President of Religious Affairs, Reverend Nelson B. Rivers III said that the sentencing of former South Carolina police officer Michael Slager who unlawfully killed Walter Scott “sends a strong message to law enforcement officers in the state and across the nation that you will be held accountable for the killing of innocent people, particularly Black people in South Carolina.”
December 14, 2017 – In a letter to the highest judge in Philadelphia County Court, Rev. Al Sharpton called for judge Genece Brinkley to be removed from the Meek Mill case, citing bias and a conflict of interest.
December 21, 2017 – National Action Network’s Youth Director Mary-Pat Hector is highlighted in Glamour Magazine as one of seventeen women who created change in 2017.
December 25, 2017 – Mayor Bill de Blasio joined Reverend Al Sharpton and Marc H. Morial, president of the National Urban League at the House of Justice in Harlem to serve Christmas dinner to those in need.
December 29, 2017 – National Action Network published “The Black Commuters’ Guide: Brooklyn” which warned Black commuters who travel to Brooklyn about subway stations where anti-Black policing occurs.
December 31, 2017 – Erica Garner, the daughter of Eric Garner and an activist who worked with National Action Network, died. Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy.
January 15, 2018 – National Action Network celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., national holiday with a breakfast in Washington, D.C. and honored radio talk show host/activist Joe Madison; Janaye Ingram, director of National Partnerships for Airbnb, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of teachers; and Baxter Leach, a 1968 Memphis sanitation striker and member of AFSCME Local 1733. Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez spoke at the event. Later that afternoon, the annual King Day Public Policy forum was held in Harlem and included New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and other elected officials. The New Baptist Church in Newark. New Jersey’s Gov. Phil Murphy delivered remarks.
January 23, 2018 – National Action Network paid tribute to Rev. Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker, the first chairman of the National Action Network and former chief of staff to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
February 10, 2018 – Rev. Al Sharpton and Ilyasah Shabazz–the third daughter of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz–expressed support during the Saturday morning rally for Malcolm Xavier Combs, a student at Christ the King High School in Queens who was the victim of discrimination and embarrassment at the hands of high school officials who denied the request to get the name “Malcolm X” printed on the back of his senior sweater.
February 12, 2018 – NAN officials staged a protest at a Bronx school where a teacher was told that she could not teach Black history.
March 21, 2018 – Rev. Al Sharpton pledged support for Stephon clark, the unarmed young man who was killed by Sacramento police officers while holding his cell phone.
March 24, 2018 – Busloads of activists from National Action Network traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the “March for Our Lives” rally, calling for sensible gun control.
March 29, 2018 – Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy for Stephon Clark in Sacramento. Rev. Sharpton blasted the Trump administration for calling Clark’s death a local matter. No, this is not a local matter,” Sharpton said. “They’ve been killing Black men all over the country and we are here to say that we’re going to stand with Stephon Clark and the leaders of his family. We are putting aside our differences. It’s time for preachers to come out of the pulpit. It’s time for politicians to come out of the offices. It’s time for us to go down and stop this madness.”
April 4, 2018 – On the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination, Rev. Al Sharpton joined the families of Dr. King and other civil rights leaders for memorial services in Memphis and Atlanta.
April 18-21, 2018 – Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton and National Action Network convened their annual national convention at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel. The convention, the largest of its kind in the country, welcomed civil rights leaders and allies from around the country as the vivil rights community refocused efforts to resist a hostile presidential administration in the upcoming midterm elections. The NAN convention brought together influential national leaders from the civil rights movement, government, labor, religion, business, media, the Black church, and the activist community to reflect on King’s legacy and impact while celebrating today’s civil rights leaders and examining the path forward. According to Rev. Al Sharpton, “It was NAN’s biggest convention yet, and there is none other than Donald Trump to thank for record registration numbers.”
April 24, 2018 – Following the release of raper Meek Mill from prison, Rev. Al Sharpton said that the time to reform the criminal system is long overdue.
April 26, 2018 – A day after a stinging defeat handed down by an appeals court, ministers and civil rights leaders–including Rev. Al Sharpton–rallied at the state Capitol to show support for a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would automatically restore voting rights for most Florida felons.
May 1, 2018 – Reverend Al Sharpton traveled to Saraland, Alabama to express outrage over the arrest of Chikesia Clemons at Waffle House. Reverend Sharpton held a rally at Bethel AME Church in Mobile, Alabama to show support for Ms. Clemons who police claimed was drunk and disorderly when they arrested her on April 2, 2018 Reverend Sharpton demanded that the disorderly conduct and resisting arrest charge be dropped and that the Waffle House admit she was treated improperly and apologize.
May 13, 2018 – Rapper Meek Mill appeared on Politics Nation and thanks Rev. Sharpton for his advocacy.
May 15, 2018 – National Action Network called for the decriminalization of marijuana, saying that minorities in New York City are disproportionately arrested by law enforcement.
May 15, 2018 – National Action Network launched the Sacramento, California chapter.
May 25, 2018 – National Action Network joined community leaders at the NFL headquarters in NYC to denounce and protest the NFL’s anthem ruling.
June 2, 2018 – NAN Youth Huddle participated in March to raise awareness about gun violence.
June 5-7, 2018 – Reverend Al Sharpton broke down geographic boundaries with a two-day visit to the United Kingdom, where he discussed the issue of civil rights and pledged continued cooperation in the fight for social justice. For the second time, Rev. Sharpton delivered a rousing speech before the Oxford Union, at Oxford University, one of the world’s most prestigious institutions of higher education, During his talk, Rev. Sharpton discussed his civil rights journey, but said that like the United States of America, Britain must take proactive steps in addressing its long history of racism. Rev. Sharpton also met with activists and members of the British parliament and made a special visit to 10 Downing Street–the official residence of Prime Minister Theresa May–to discuss efforts to improve the racial disparity gap throughout the nation. In addition, Rev. Sharpton did around the clock interviews with media outlets, including appearing on Good Morning Britain with host Piers Morgan, where he discussed U.S. politics and raised concerns about the deportation of African and Caribbean individuals in the U.K.
June 11, 2018 – Reverend Al Sharpton said that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the way that Ohio purges its voter rolls should disturb us all.
June 12, 2018 – Rev. Sharpton addressed a packed audience at New Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church this week at Leadership Network-Chicago’s 2018 Leaders Network Justice Jubilee Service. Leadership Network-Chicago is an organization that is creating flourishing communities with independent leadership, economic justice and equal educational opportunities for all. The organization, which is led by Pastor Cy Fields, Dr. Ira Acree, and Dr. Marshall E. Hatch, Sr. and is an affiliate organization that works with National Action Network.