Rev. Sharpton to speak at Oxford Union about race relations, civil rights and social justice

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May 29, 2018

Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton, President of National Action Network (NAN) has been invited to speak at the Oxford Union in the United Kingdom about race relations, civil rights and social justice.

This will be Sharpton’s second speech at the Oxford Union, following a popular 2015 keynote. After positive student feedback from his first visit, Sharpton will speak about race relations in the age of Donald Trump and the importance of activism as a tool to advance social justice and civil rights in both the U.K. and the U.S.

For half a century, Rev. Sharpton has been at the vanguard in the fight for social justice, courageously devoting his life to preserving and protecting civil rights for all Americans. A college dropout who never received a formal degree, Rev. Sharpton has defied all academic expectations: delivering a keynote speech at Trinity College in Ireland; being honored as the subject of a full-day symposium at Columbia University in New York last year; and now, delivering two speeches before the Oxford Union, one of the world’s most prestigious debating societies.

Last October, influential scholars, civil rights leaders and activists gathered at Columbia University to celebrate and honor Sharpton’s extraordinary life and commitment to advancing civil rights across racial, ender and economic boundaries in the United States and around the world.

As the President and Founder of National Action Network, he leads 110 chapters across the United States and in preparation for the upcoming midterm elections, he and NAN have been helping galvanize people arounnd voter turnout and protection while amplifying critical issues facing people of color like police misconduct, racial sensitivity in an age of increased bias, and race relations.

As host of MSNBC’s “Politics Nation,” which airs every Sunday morning, he also hosts the nationally syndicated weekly radio show “Keepin’ it Real,” and a national Sunday radio show titled “The Hour of Power.” Additionally, he hosts a weekly Saturday action rally from NAN’s headquarters in Harlem, N.Y., which is broadcast live on Impact Television and WLIB Radio.

As head of NAN, Rev. Sharpton has taken the teachings of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and applied them to a modern civil rights environment. He has been a tireless advocate for everything from police reform and accountability to the protection of voting rights to education equality. A 2018 New York Times profile of Rev. Al Sharpton referred to him as the “Martin Luther King of the North.”

Rev. Sharpton’s talk will take place on June 5th, 2018 at Oxford Union.